Pan High Rules
by obsessedlikeneverb4
Summary: Another S1 twist. Those of you who know me, know I'm and eternal LoVer, for which there is no substitute.
1. Chapter 1

Pan High Rules

A/N: okay, folks...I'm back. When I completed 'Drunk Logan' I knew that I wanted to write this fic. Unfortunately, it hasn't been as quick a process as I'd hoped. For that reason, I'm going to put myself under the gun. I'm going to start posting while I only have about ten chapters written. What this means for you, is that there will not be daily updates. I'm planning on weekly. That will give me some time to continue writing before running out of material, but will also hopefully make me write so that I don't leave you hanging! Let me know what you think! Thanks!

Setting: This fic begins where S1 canon begins. Examples: D/V were together, but broke up just before Lilly died for the same reason as in canon. V did go to Shelly's party and yup, bad things happened. The differences from my fic and canon are as follows: everything that happened actually happened a year later. I wanted them to be a year older. Therefore, Lilly died at the beginning of her Senior year and Logan, Veronica and Duncan's Junior year. Also, another major change will become obvious in the first couple of chapters. Veronica isn't quite the skeptic she is in canon, but no where near the pink frilly she was pre-Lilly either. She's changed, but that will all be explained.

Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this fanfiction belong to Rob Thomas and his creative team at The C.W./U.P.N. (Of course, we know how they squandered that right!) The story is my own creative work and my intention is to pay homage to the universe they created, not to profit from it. If I owned these characters, I would be much nicer to them and they would still be living quite happily in my television on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. As it is now, I get my JD fix on Friday nights. Not a bad way to start the weekend, Ladies!

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It was the first day of Senior year for Logan Echolls. It wasn't any first day of school, though. Normally, he would have been walking into a school that he had ruled for the first three years of high school and that he would continue to rule for his last year. He would have been making plans for Senior Ditch Day with all of the other privileged kids he called his friends. They were the 09ers, the ones that lived in the prestigious 90909 zip code. Was he doing that? Was he driving into his school parking lot as King of Neptune High? No.

Why, you ask? Well, that's not an easy question to answer. If you can make it through the my explanation of his journey , you'll be happy you did. Unfortunately, we'll have to go back to the beginning, where it all began. Still with me? Good. Let's get started.

Logan's girlfriend...well, ex-girlfriend, Lilly Kane had been murdered at the beginning of his Junior year. You all know the story of the socialite-daughter of software billionaire, Jake Kane. The picture of her lifeless body laying next to the family pool was spread all over the internet just weeks after her murder.

What does that have to do with Logan and his first day of school, you ask? Well, that's only slightly more complicated. The day that Lilly died was the beginning of his descent. It may sound as if he lost his social status and all of those friends of his. That isn't what happened at all. As a matter of fact, if possible he became even more popular, at least with the 09ers. The reality is that he completely lost control of his life.

You see, besides Lilly, his best friends had been Lilly's brother, Duncan Kane and Lilly's best friend, Veronica Mars. They were great together. They were the "Fab Four". Mainly, it started as another way for Lilly to make sure that no one forgot how fabulous she was. She had stated one day, that because she was so fabulous, she would never willingly hang out with anyone less than fabulous. Therefore, they were the "Fabulous Four". It just got shortened to the "Fab Four".

After Lilly died, Duncan withdrew completely. He was still there physically, but emotionally he was like a blank slate. He never joked around much or got angry or showed much of any other emotion. He just seemed to glide through his days. No one could really blame him. He had been the one to find his sister, one of his best friends, lying dead with her head bashed in. That's not an easy sight to recover from. The little pills that his mom, Celeste, fed him every morning helped keep his emotions in check, too.

Veronica's father was the Sheriff. He led the investigation to find Lilly's murderer. He started pointing fingers at Lilly's family. Her father Jake, specifically. When Veronica was given the choice of standing by her friends and her dead best friend or standing with her father, she chose her father. Logan was crushed. She had been the last one, the last person he could count on. He had decided at that moment that he would never forget what she had done that day and that he would never allow her to forget it either.

Logan did everything he could to destroy Veronica's life at Neptune High. He started prank calling her, letting the air out of her tires, spray painting vulgarities on her locker. Even worse, he turned the most powerful kids in the school against her. His wrath and all of the schemes and pranks he could think of were multiplied by the fact that all of his willing toadies carried out the same punishments against her. No matter where she went, someone would be there to taunt her. To let her know that she was no longer one of them. Most of all, to remind her of that day. The day that she chose her own fate by siding with her father.

Sheriff Mars was ousted as Sheriff and the Mars family moved away about a week after Winter Break ended. After Veronica left school, Logan found himself with a hole in his life. He'd devoted all of his time and energy to the ruination of Veronica and, once she was gone, he had no where to channel that energy. He began getting into all sorts of trouble. Whether he was orchestrating bum fights, spearing teachers' cars onto the school flag pole, mouthing off to the administration, skipping school, defacing school property, sneaking into the office to make false announcements over the intercom or just getting caught having sex on Vice Principal Clemmons' desk. It didn't matter. Whatever he could do to get a reaction, a rise out of people, he did.

For the most part, his...indiscretions or lack of judgement was ignored. At most he got a slap on the wrist...detention, maybe a day or two of suspension. The problem was that he was the golden child. He was the only son of one of the most wealthy and influential couples in Neptune, Oscar-award winning actors, Aaron and Lynn Echolls. Wealthy parents were a great source of fund and equipment contributions. To upset them was to risk losing a great deal of financial support. And, to do that was to risk losing your job.

Finally, toward the end of Logan's Junior year, Vice Principal Clemmons called Aaron and Lynn Echolls into his office. Mr. Clemmons explained to them, in the most politically correct terms, that Neptune was no longer a "positive environment" for Logan. He suggested that the Echolls' find a new, more appropriate educational path for Logan. Of course, Logan was welcome to stay through the end of the year and his files would be transferred without issue.

Truthfully, Logan was being expelled from Neptune High. Although, because of whom his parents were, the school would never actually expel him. Nothing would be placed in his permanent file and no fuss made. That's why he was allowed to finish out the school year there.

Logan was actually looking forward to being shipped off to boarding school. He would miss his mom, but would be away from his abusive father. He threw himself a "going-away" party while his parents were out of town one weekend. He couldn't think of a better end-of-the-year gift.

Unfortunately for Logan, when his parents returned he was informed that he would not be shipped off to boarding school. His father didn't feel like he would do well without constant parental supervision. Therefore, he would be attending Neptune's rival school, Pan High.

Frankly, Logan couldn't have cared less which school he went to...as long as it was far away from Neptune, California and far away from his father. He drank himself into a stupor the night he found out that he would be stuck living at home until he graduated.

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So, that's it. The journey that brought us to the first day of Logan's Senior year. Still with me? Good. Now let's get on to the good stuff.

Logan drove his Xterra into a new parking lot at a new high school. The difference in the schools was obvious immediately. At Neptune High, the divide between the have's and have-nots was great. On one hand, the lot had been filled with shiny new "back-to-school" gifts. There were SUV's, sports cars and convertibles. Mercedes-Benz and BMW's were scattered throughout the parking lot.

On the other hand, among the pretty new toys were the beater cars, the souped up motorcycles, and the economy cars that cost very little new, but that you had to fold yourself into to drive.

At Pan High, there was an odd variety of vehicles, but they seemed to blend together so well. It was not blatantly obvious who the rich kids were. Logan wondered to himself if there actually were any rich kids at the school. He knew enough about the school, the part of town it was in and the population that attended there to know that they were the "middle class". That elusive group of people absent from Neptune High. What Pan High would have considered wealthy, might have been allowed to reside in the homes on the outskirts of the 90909 zip.

Logan parked and began walking confidently toward the school. He knew that it wouldn't take long for him to make friends. Although Pan High did not cater to their own special class of affluent students, people were still drawn to the wealthy. If the popular kids weren't attracted to him for his money, they would be for his celebrity or for Logan's personality. He was quite charismatic and people were drawn to him normally. He had an air of confidence about him that others took notice of and it made them want to know him that much more. They wanted to understand what was so great about him.

So, no. Logan Echolls wasn't concerned at all about his status at his new school. He walked through the halls purposefully, seeking out the office. After he'd been checked in, he found his locker and then continued on to his first class.

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By lunchtime on his first day, Logan had already received a number of invites for different lunch tables. He was smart about it, though. He told each of them that he wasn't sure where he would be sitting because he was supposed to meet up with an old friend of his. He was laid back and charming. He knew that when he went into the cafeteria, he'd be able to sniff out the "right" crowd.

When he found the group that he would bless with his company, he could just tell them that he hadn't seen his old friend yet and so decided to take them up on their lunch offer. Any others would just assume that his "old friend" was someone sitting at his table. It was a fool proof plan.

Sure enough, once Logan had spent lunch with his new friends, he knew that he'd been right. He was sitting with what he was sure were the most popular students. He could tell mostly by the way the other students looked at them. It wasn't a look of disdain, like the students at Neptune gave the 09ers, but one of awe and reverence.

What did surprise Logan a little was the diversity in the group he sat with. They were all popular, but unlike the 09ers, they weren't popular just because of their financial status. There were the jocks, the smart kids and the Student Council members. There were even a couple of the schools thespians and newspaper staffers. It seemed that anyone who truly excelled in their "field" and got noticed were a part of the group.

That seemed to be the trait that linked them together. That...and the fact that they were all nice and genuine people. Logan didn't know that you could be popular and genuine. They were the most popular kids in the school, but they didn't look down on everyone else and they didn't behave as if they were superior.

At the end of lunch, Logan walked out with the basketball player he'd met in 2nd period, Richie and Wallace, another baller.

"So, Richie. Who's this Cami girl that everyone keeps talking about?" All Logan knew about Cami was that she had taken up about ninety percent of the lunchtime conversation.

"Oh, Logan, man. You've got to meet this girl. She's amazing! She's hot, she's funny, she's sarcastic and just a sweetheart. She's friends with everyone and everyone loves her."

"She's hot, you say? I may have to investigate this a little deeper." He flashed that classic smirk of his.

"Yeah, well, good luck. You're going to have to get in line and even then, it won't help." Wallace inserted his two cents into the conversation.

"Why not? I'm pretty successful when it comes to the opposite sex." Logan knew that these guys had no idea of the pull he had with the ladies. If this girl was as amazing as they said she was and if he wanted her, he'd have her in no time.

"Yeah, well...not this one. She hasn't dated anyone the entire time we've known her and it's not because she hasn't been asked. In fact, she's so nice to everyone that even those guys who have no self-confidence at all have asked her out. I don't know anyone who doesn't want to get with her." Wallace stated matter-of-factly.

Logan raised a questioning eyebrow toward Richie.

"Guilty as charged, my friend, guilty as charged. I can't tell you how many times I've asked her out on dates, to school dances, even just for a day at the beach. She's always turned me down. I might be offended if I didn't know that she turns everyone down and if she weren't so dang sweet about it." Ritchie just laughed. "I know that she'll never agree to go out with me, but it's actually become a little bit of a game we play now. It's a running joke to see how many times she can turn me down and have me continually crawling back to her."

"Wow, she must be smokin' hot if she's got you guys chasing after her all the time." Logan couldn't imagine a girl that would be worth that kind of effort. Of course, there was Lilly Kane. In fact, the girls were similar in their marketability. All of the guys would have died for a chance with Lilly. The difference, though, was that Lilly actually dated and was more than willing to show off her skills in the bedroom. Logan had gleaned the benefits of those skills while they were dating...and a few times when they weren't.

This girl Cami, though, apparently wasn't giving up anything to anyone. What would make her so great that these guys would still want to be with her when there was no hope of that possibility? She wouldn't even go out on a date. He wondered if maybe her parents were some sort of weird freaks who wouldn't let her leave the house except for school or something.

"Hey! Not all of us are chasing after her." Wallace strongly defended.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's just because she's your best friend, she's like a sister to you, yada, yada, yada." Richie chuckled. He had obviously heard that explanation a few times before.

"Well, it's true." Wallace, once again, defended himself.

"Well, if you're her best friend, then you tell me why she doesn't date anyone. Are her parents really strict or something?" Logan had no idea of why he was so curious and interested in this girl he hadn't even met. He figured it was just that a challenge had been presented to him. And, if there was one thing you could say about Logan Echolls, it was that he NEVER backed down from a challenge.

"We may be best friends, but she doesn't tell me every little thing. It's not like we have sleep overs and stay up late talking and doing each others nails." He looked appropriately offended. "Besides, I just figure that she's got enough on her plate, enough that she's already dealing with, without adding boyfriends into the mix."

Richie just shrugged and nodded his head in agreement.

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Logan had spent his first week getting used to his new classes and learning more and more about his new friends. He made a point to sit next to different people in the group each day at lunch. That way he would know a little about all of them. Wallace and Ritchie always seemed to be close by and part of his conversations and so did a girl he'd met his second day, Mac. They had all gotten together a couple of times throughout the week and Logan had really started to become friends with them.

Throughout the week, Cami continued to be the biggest topic of conversation. It wasn't in a gossip-like manner, but just because of everyone's excitement to see her. Logan heard loads of stories about her. Apparently she was known for helping the student body with little mysteries. She had even been able to help Mac discover that she was switched at birth. Logan could even imagine what that would do to a person.

The stories were ludicrous and amazing and hilarious. He had been told by Wallace and Ritchie about the guys' desire to be with her, but he quickly learned that all of the girls wanted to be her, too. It was true, at least from what he'd heard, that she was loved by everyone. In fact, by the way everyone talked about her, he figured she was probably the most popular girl at the school and that she could do no wrong. It was an odd change for Logan. At Neptune, there would have been jealousy and backstabbing, especially among the girls. There was always some sort of drama. He saw none of that spiteful envy out of his new friends, though.

He did ask, at one point, why Cami hadn't started school yet. It was odd to him that she wouldn't be there for the first week of her Senior year. Most people at least came for the first week before they started skipping classes. The response he got was an odd one. Everyone just kind of looked at each other with blank faces, their expressions giving nothing away. Finally, Wallace spoke up.

"Oh, she just had some stuff to take care of," the girl's best friend suggested.

"Yeah, you know how it is." Mac, her other best friend added.

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Again, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed.


	2. Chapter 2

Pan High Rules

Chapter 2

A/N: 2 quick things. RL for me over the next couple of weeks consists of one of my best friends moving to TX, which I'm spending every possible minute with her until she goes AND another one of my best friends having my baby "nephew" any time now. At which point, I will be on hospital and baby duty as much as possible. I will try my best to get chap. 3 out on time, but thanks for your patience. ALSO, I'm going to award a cookie to anyone who can guess where the name Cami came from. I don't think you will, but I'll offer up the challenge. Thanks for reading!

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When Monday rolled around, Logan was surprised at how excited he was about going to school. Not that he didn't like his new school. On the contrary, his new group of friends had made the transition to Pan High relatively painless. He would rather just invite his new friends to ditch and go to the beach with him instead of dealing with actually attending his classes.

Logan was excited because he felt like he was finally going to be able to solve the mystery that had been haunting him for the previous week. Cami was supposed to show up for school. He didn't know why he was so intrigued by the possibility of meeting her, but that he would finally be able to put a face to all of the stories he'd heard about her. Of course, there was the obvious. All of his new friends seemed to be entranced by her. He'd heard nothing, but praise about her. And apparently, she was hot. For Logan, that was always a great reason to meet a girl.

There was something else about her, though. Not only had he heard all sorts of funny stories about her and the situations she would get into and about how caring and wonderful she was, but she was also single by choice. She'd been going to Pan High since the previous year, but had not dated a single person the entire time. Besides Wallace, who took his role as her best friend very seriously, he hadn't met a single guy who hadn't either asked her out or wanted to ask her out. Because she was universally kind to everyone, even the shiest and least confident among the male population at Pan High had approached her for dates. She always turned them down, as she did every guy, but she always appreciated their feelings. She was gentle and respected the courage it took for them to step out of their comfort zone. It seemed as though every guy she turned down walked away feeling better about themselves and liking her even more.

That was it. She was an enigma. A phenomenon among girls. A girl who seemed to hold the hearts of everyone who knew her, rich or poor, popular or not. She had been described as funny, kind, intelligent, caring, fun to be around and gorgeous. At least, that's what everyone else was saying. He would judge for himself. Frankly, he found it a little too good to be true. Beyond all of that, Cami had missed the entire first week of school and no one seemed to think it was odd.

'Who misses the ENTIRE first week of school? Who does that? Who is this girl? Well, today's the day I find out. There's no way she's as good as they say, but at least I'll get a chance to find out for myself,' Logan thought to himself as he rushed out the door twenty minutes earlier than he'd normally leave.

The first thing Logan heard about when he got to school was none other than Cami.

"Enough already. Where is she?" Logan stated a little louder than he'd intended.

"She just walked off with Mac and the other girls," Wallace turned and pointed down the hall to a pack of girls who were turning the corner. "See, right there. You just missed her. Although, I doubt you would have been able to get a word in edge-wise with all the girls around. They barely let her say hello before they were whisking her away talking about her new hair cut and how great she looked."

"New hair cut?"

"Yeah, she looks even hotter now!" Richie piped up. "Before she was hot in a sweet way, now she's just plain hot! And, her body...well, let's just say, the summer was good to her."

"Ugh! I don't want to hear any more. You guys do realize she's like a sister to me, don't you? I may have to start kicking some butts around here and soon." Wallace growled as they all separated for their classes.

Logan entered each class before lunch, scanning the students, trying to spot any newcomers. When he didn't see her, he knew that the gods had to be conspiring against him. He finally realized after his last morning class had filled and the teacher had begun lecturing that he would just have to settle for waiting until lunch.

It was driving him crazy. He didn't even know this girl and he was being reduced to some little puppy dog, hoping to get a glimpse of her. That wasn't him. He was Logan Echolls, King of the 09ers...only not. Not at Pan High, at least. Still, he was confident and well, let's face it. He could get any girl he wanted with very little effort. A little smile here, a witty comment there. The charm oozed out of him so naturally that he didn't even have to try anymore.

In fact, besides Lilly, he'd never really formed much of an attachment to any of the girls he dated. He was with them for the 'fun of the moment', then the moment would pass and he'd move to someone new. Lilly had been the only girl he'd ever put much effort in to, yet Cami had consumed Logan's thoughts for a week before ever meeting him. He was sick of it and just ready to meet this supposed 'goddess' of a girl.

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Logan was walking to lunch with Wallace on one side of him and Ritchie on the other. They were engrossed in conversation about what they'd done over the weekend. Logan was regaling them with stories from the back-to-school party he'd attended at his friend, Dick's, house. They were laughing at the antics of the drunken teenagers when all of the sudden, Logan stopped dead in his tracks.

"What's up, man?" Wallace asked as he and Ritchie stopped and looked back at their new friend.

Logan was staring past them, an eyebrow raised in obvious intrigue. When the guys followed his line of sight, they were met with the vision of their table of friends talking and laughing. In the center of the group, though, was what had caught Logan's attention. With her back to them, a girl dressed in a short skirt and knee-high boots, had one of her knees propped up on the bench. She was leaning over the table to reach for something off of one of her friends' plates. The shirt she wore rose slightly, exposing the silky skin between it and the low waist of her skirt.

Logan's eyes traveled up her legs, over her well-shaped curves and across the expanse of milky skin that begged to be caressed. Wallace growled loudly enough to get Logan's attention.

"What?" Logan said, not looking at the boy, but continuing to stare straight ahead. He wasn't ashamed and felt no need to hide his appreciation of the view. He was a teenage boy, after all.

Ritchie laughed. "So, you've just gotten your first impression of our girl."

Logan swallowed, trying to bring moisture back into his mouth and throat. "THAT is Cami?"

Logan knew he was in trouble. Lilly had trained him very well, sexually at least. He had moved past that pubescent inability to control his body's response to the female form...especially the fully dressed female form. Yet, there he was, trying to cool his quickly-rising body temperature and adjusting his bag in front of him in order to hide his instant reaction to her.

"Get in line, man. Get. In. Line." Richie said with a chuckle, which was enough to bring Logan's mind back to reality.

As they began walking toward the table again, he decided to just play it cool. He knew how to attract girls, he did it all the time. In the short time he'd been at Pan High, he'd already had three or four girls make it obvious that they wanted to get to 'know' him better and 'welcome' him to their school. He figured he'd just hang back and let her notice him. His new friends wouldn't know what hit them.

As the guys walked up behind her, Wallace cleared his throat. "Cami, I'd like you to meet the new guy, Logan Echolls."

As soon as she turned around, Logan's jaw dropped. He said nothing. There were no clever quips or smirks, no humorous introductions and no snarky comments about finally meeting 'The Great Cami'. In fact, his head was spinning, his heart racing and his eyes huge. The carefully-placed smile had disappeared from his face along with the color in his complextion.

When Cami saw him, she wasn't surprised. She'd heard that he would be attending Pan High and figured that he'd make friends with her friends. Her suspicions had been confirmed when her friends had told her about the new kid they'd met on the first day of school. She'd known that this meeting was coming, but she just couldn't make herself care.

"We actually already know each other. We used to go to school together. I heard you'd be attending Pan High." She said as if it were no big deal. Then she turned her full attention to the two guys standing with Logan.

"Hey, Ritchie, Wallace. I barely got to see you this morning. I was a little preoccupied." She laughed as she jerked her head toward the group of girls at the table and rolled her eyes good-naturedly. After giving both of the guys a hug, she turned back to continue her previous conversation with her girlfriends.

Logan, still stunned, took a seat at the other end of the table, listening to them all. He was trying to match up the idea of Veronica, the girl he'd known and hated to Cami, the girl that he'd been hearing about non-stop for the past week. He'd spent all of his energy turning the 09er's at Neptune High against her. In fact, he had figured that the Mars family had moved far away from Neptune. Apparently, they hadn't moved that far away at all.

Veronica's presence at Pan High was one big mystery to Logan. From her reasons for transferring schools, to her new name, to the new style she seemed to be sporting. What wasn't a mystery any longer, though, was why she had missed the first week of classes.

When she had first turned around, all Logan could focus on was her face. He was staring into the eyes of a girl he'd thought was long gone. After he'd sat down and continued to watch her, he'd almost immediately caught sight of the difference in her bust size. He couldn't believe that sweet little Veronica Mars had gone out and gotten herself breast implants. Now there was something that the old Ronnie would have never done.

He had to admit, he was mesmerized. They weren't overdone, but they were definitely noticeable. 'Compliments to the surgeon, they look so real,' Logan thought as his eyes roamed her V-neck sweater.

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Veronica knew that Logan was stunned and had been sizing up both her and the situation since he'd sat down. She understood it. The last time they had spent any time around each other, she'd been running off in tears at every little caustic comment or glare he sent her way. Back then, her whole life had revolved around her friends and the life she'd lost. He'd been one of her best friends until he turned the entire school on her. She'd spent so much of her time being depressed and embarrassed and hurt. Veronica was a wall flower back then, constantly being pulled into the spotlight by Lilly, Logan and Duncan. After Duncan broke up with her and Lilly died, she had no one and she didn't know how to stand on her own.

'That was then, this is now,' she thought. 'How things can change in such a short amount of time. My stomach used to do flip flops and my hands would shake every time I knew he was around. I was so scared of what he would say next. Now, there's just nothing.'

She did grin to herself at one point, though, when she realized that Logan had been checking her out for a good five minutes.

'If he stares any harder, he may never be able to blink again!' Veronica was well aware of the changes in her body and knew that was what Logan was responding to. She still thought it was hilarious. No matter how much he hated her, he still wasn't shy about checking her out.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Mac asked her a question. "So, Cami..." Mac drawled out like she was about to ask some deep, earth-shattering question..."what made you cut your hair? It looks amazing, but why'd you do it?"

Veronica couldn't help, but laugh at the glint in Mac's eye. Mac could make the simplest question sound mischievous.

"Oh, you know. Everything's just been so crazy busy lately that I wanted to simplify as much as possible. Do you realize how little time it takes for me to get ready now? It's great, I love how easy it makes things." Then, with a smile, she added, "Plus, I figured it was time for a change."

"Well, if you wanted a change you should have told me. I could've introduced you to the wonderful world of hair color," replied the girl sporting a blue streak in her dark hair.

Veronica chuckled in return. "Yeah, I can just imagine how that would have gone."

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"How's Keith doing anyway?" Logan heard one of their friends ask Veronica.

'Keith? They seem to be pretty close to Veronica's dad. When I knew him, he always made us call him 'Mr. Mars'. Why are they asking about him anyway?'

"He's doing much better. He hasn't slept much since being released from the hospital, but that's pretty normal. He should start sleeping better soon. I hope so at least. Even though I know he's okay, I'm still on edge about his health. Anytime he starts moving around, I wake up." She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, there hasn't been a whole lot of beauty sleep around the Mars' place lately."

'Mr. Mars was in the hospital? It sounds like he's okay, but that it was pretty bad for a little while. That must be why things have been so busy for Veronica.'

Gone was the wall flower. Now it seemed, that Veronica was the most popular girl in his new school. Everyone loved her, especially his new friends. She was like Lilly had been at Neptune. That's when it hit him. Veronica was the Queen of Pan High. One thing was for sure, she certainly was hot. And the hair, totally worked for him. Not that he'd ever really consider the girl who had betrayed him, Lilly and Duncan, hot...but she was.

Logan just couldn't grasp it. The only difference between what Lilly had been at Neptune and Veronica, was that he'd not found anyone who had anything negative to say about 'Cami'. At Neptune, the 09er's were disliked by most of the school population because of their privilege and their attitude of entitlement. At Pan High, there weren't those same divisions. There didn't even seem to be the major divisions between jocks and nerds, rich and poor, art students and stoners.

Logan sat in a daze watching the group around him as they focused their attention on Veronica. The kicker? She seemed completely at home with all of that attention. It was obvious to him that it wasn't just because it was her first day back. Logan could tell, based on her comfort level, that this was an everyday occurrence. What surprised him even more was that his presence didn't seem to phase her at all. At Neptune, she would have run away crying, just at the sight of him. Looking across the lunch table now though, he saw a certain confidence about her. She was completely comfortable with herself and he knew that she wouldn't be running away any time soon.

In a moment of clarity between all of the haze he'd found himself in, Logan realized that the game had completely changed on him. They were no longer playing by the rules that existed at Neptune High. They were now playing by Pan High rules. He would have to figure out his place in this new equation. Yes, he'd made friends with these people and had fit into their group nicely, but that was before Veronica was unveiled as their queen. As soon as everyone found out what he'd done to her, he was likely to be banished from their group. He had to laugh at the irony of it all. Yes, the rules had definitely changed. She had the power to do to him at Pan High what he'd done to her at Neptune.

After that realization, he watched her like a hawk, trying to figure her out. She hadn't seemed nervous to see him there, which made sense since she knew of his arrival at Pan High. Obviously, though, she hadn't pre-warned her friends about him and she ignored the opportunity to do it when they were face to face. She just didn't seem phased by his presence there at all. She wasn't overly welcoming, but she certainly wasn't cross with him either. What was she up to? Was this some game she was playing? Was she setting him up? And, what was up with her name? Cami? He was determined to find out.

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Thanks EVERYONE for reading!

REVIEWERS: WOW! You guys have outdone yourselves. I wasn't planning on responding to everyone, but I couldn't help it. Thanks so much for taking the time to review!

Maigu: Well, if you're reading this comment after chapter 2, then your question has been answered. How'd I do?

soccerluvr1: I'm glad you liked it. The thing about the time frame, I actually did on purpose. In the A/N at the beginning of chapter 1, I stated that everything happened a year later because I wanted them to be a year older. Thanks!

Jenn6891: See? Your wish is my command. You ask, I answer. lol Anyway, glad you liked it...more answers to come.

LostnStarsHallow: I'm so glad that you're enjoying DL, I really put my blood, sweat and tears into that one. I hope you enjoy this one as it unfolds. Thanks!

hayleygirl: So happy you enjoyed DL. I finally got this one started and just needed the push of the reviews. It's invigorating. Enjoy!

Magic Crystal Rose: Ask and you shall receive. The tables have been turned.

LoVeElle: Ah, so good to hear from you again. Yes, it's been far too long for this story to come to light. The one thing that I heard a few times with DL was the request for more of the other characters. I don't know how well I'll do with them because I'm usually so focused on LoVe, but I'm trying to weave them into the fic. Hope you keep liking it. Oh, and I know you helped me out last time with effect and affect...hopefully I can get it straight this time. :-)

rowanceleste: I should have known to count on you for such a great question. Honestly, it is not one that I'd thought of before you brought it up. So, I'm thinking no. Although, V has become good friends with everyone at Pan, I think that she's tried to separate her old and new lives as much as possible. I don't know. What do you think?

kylie144: Yes, I appreciated your reviews with DL and I'm so glad to hear from you again. I'm hope that you do enjoy PHR as much as DL.

RogueAvril: Thank you so much for the review. I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed DL. I'm going to try to do all of the characters justice, but it's definitely more difficult for me to write them than L/V. If they could have created a show where KB and JD were onscreen together at all times, I would have been a happy cat!

firebirdgirl: Thanks so much for the review. I'm glad you're enjoying it and I hope you liked the reveal. There is more to come, but I couldn't answer all of the questions in one chapter. A little for the suspense. Let me know what you thought.

alligirl785: And word cannot describe how giddy I get when I see reviews like this. Believe me, it is all my pleasure to make you squeal:-) Beyond that, I love that I can write down an idea that's been flopping around in my head for the last year that makes you come up with your own "what if's". I love stories that do that to me, so to hear that PHR is doing that to you makes me estatic. Thanks so much!

SnarkQueen: Well, what did you think of the reveal? I liked the Pan High epi also, but it was severely lacking in my Logan love. Hopefully, we can change that. Thanks so much, it was great hearing from you.

LoVefan4ever meet Obsessedlikeneverb4. What made me obsessed? LoVe...it's that simple. So from one eternal fan to another, thank you for your shining review. DL was truly a fic of pure devotion on my part and it's so great when people like it. I'm love that you are enjoying PHR also. I have this fear that DL was an enigma and I will never be able to accomplish anything like it again. I got a great response on it and it's part of the reason I've been so afraid of moving forward with PHR. Anyway, it means a lot to me that someone who has written a couple of good fics yourself likes mine. Thanks!!!

enchantedlight: thanks for the review. I'm glad it has piqued your interest. I hope you liked the update!

musicismylife08: WOW! I'm feeling the pressure now. Hopefully PHR lives up to your expectations. I'm so glad that you liked DL and I hope to not let you down with this new fic. Thanks!

Nicole Therese: I couldn't agree with you more. It was mostly a summary, but don't worry...we're on to the good stuff now. Well, at least, the new stuff. Still waiting on the jury to find out if it's good or not. :-) These chapters aren't quite as long as they were in DL. I'm trying to work on that a little. I feel good about a chapter when I am writing the scene that is playing on a loop in my head. Sometimes that scene just isn't there. Hopefully, this chapter leaves you a little more satisfied, although I know there are some unanswered questions. Thanks so much for the review. It was good hearing from you again!

Marslovahhh18: I'm so glad that you like the idea. I really like reading and writing stuff that I haven't seen or haven't seen much of, so I'm glad that you found it unique. Well, face-to-face meeting...what'd you think?

Lorelei Candice Black: Of course I do! You and I had many a conversation back in the DL days. Hopefully I leave you a bit more satisfied with the ending of this fic than I did with DL. Although, at this point, I don't plan on there being any weird twists in the last chapter. We'll see though, who knows what my mind will do! Oh, and yeah. You know me so well, I am so bad at truly answering your questions. Give it another three? chapters before you get all the answers you're looking for.

Vmfan387: So happy to hear from you again! I know that you were a great reviewer with DL and I'm glad to see one for PHR now, too. So much fan fics have been written on VM that I really like when I come across something unique. I'm glad you saw that, too!

carito2p: hmmmm...well, okay. I didn't address everything you thought up, but give me another couple chapters and I will. Fair enough? Anyway, glad that you are liking the fic and hope you liked the reveal! Oh, but yes. I don't believe there is any pairing, but LoVe really. Sure, there are a couple on the horizon, but nothing comes close to LoVe.

xosummerxo: good to hear from you again. You were always such an encouragement through DL. What did you think of the reveal?

XXspuffster101XX: ahh, the spuffster is back, my fellow Princess Bride lover. Nice seeing you again. You were always such a great reviewer! Very detailed and insightful. The name thing will be explained, but not yet. And, yes, her mom is gone...same as in canon. Thanks for the review!

Harri-bean: Thank you so much for your great review. I hope that you enjoyed this update. Let me know.

Mallikad: Hey, how's it going? I'm still liking your updates as well. Keep 'em coming! I'm glad you liked the beginning. The reviews have really energized me again!

IluvVM: Welcome back you, too! It's great to hear from you again. You were so supportive with DL and as always, I look forward to your reviews in the future! Glad you are liking this one so far.

snarkNsass: Ah, snarkNsass can only mean good things! As much as I understand being too tired to review, I'm so glad you did. Thank you for taking the time. And, I do have to agree. Let's have some suffering first, shall we? Oh, and just so you know...I'm going to try my best with these other characters. My true obsession is with L/V, but I will write the others as best as I can. Thanks again! BTW, when I found out that VM was going off the air, my one true hope was that JD would land somewhere that I could still see him. My hopes were answered in the form on Friday nights. My hope is that he can work his way onto the screen more and more like he did with VM in the beg. of season 1. The episode with his old girlfriend was like JD served on a silver platter with a side of Tillamook Mudslide ice cream...really nothing better than that:-) Looking forward to April.

Umma Isilady: Sorry about the wait. I'm just nervous that I'll post myself out of chapters before I can write them. Then where would we be:-) I am glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the review.

Beccakell13: Hello returning reviewer! So happy to see you again. I'm glad that I have intrigued you. You did guess right, but I'll give a cookie to the person who can guess the meaning behind the name Cami. Thanks again!

LilLadyMe: Well, what did you think? Was the reveal okay? Thanks for the review, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far.

Bluephoenix70: WOW! A great review BEFORE you even read the chapter. I really hope it lived up to your praise. Thank you so much. You really have no idea of how much reading reviews like this lift me up. I really appreciate it.

christykq: yes, I know it's been way too long. Truly, the response I got on DL was so overwhelmingly great, that I was afraid to really get to writing on PHR. With DL, I knew that I'd never written anything before and kept waiting for people to boo me out of the forums. So, here I am hoping that DL wasn't just a "one hit wonder" and that my writing will serve justice to the great story that's been bouncing around in my head. Let's cross our fingers that I've got an ability beyond the aberration that was DL. Thanks!

Caroline: Thanks for the wonderful encouragement. I hope you enjoyed this second chapter!

SoDa.PoP9: So? What did you think about the reveal? Right now Logan is still trying to figure out where he stands, but we'll get to see what he's really made of as this fic unfolds. Thanks for the review!


	3. Chapter 3

Pan High Rules

Chapter 3

A/N: Please don't hate me for the long delay. It truly is my intention to update weekly, but the last 2 weeks have completely kicked my butt. From staying in the hospital with my friend after she had her amazing baby boy, my 'nephew' to being at my other friend's house almost every day helping her pack and move, to waking up on Saturday realizing that I was getting sick. Ugh! So, update: baby was born, beautiful and healthy, friend is now in TX after many sobs and our husbands having to pry us apart with a crowbar and now snotty and coughing. But, having said that all...life really isn't like this normally. Should be able to keep up regular updates. Thanks!

A/N 2 - CAMI: One person guessed right. Tell me what you think. I've been overwhelmed by the amazing reviews and am so appreciative. I love hearing from you all. Thanks so much!!

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One week. One frustrating and angst-filled week had passed since Veronica had started school. Things seemed to be going well. Too well. Logan couldn't figure out why things had gone so well, why they hadn't blown up on him yet. Veronica still acted as if it was no big deal that he was there. She would address him along with the group and would never specifically exclude him from anything. They'd spent lunch together every day and he'd found out on the first day she'd come to school, that he shared two of his afternoon classes with her.

When he'd walked into his fourth period Journalism class after seeing her at lunch that first day, he'd still been too stunned to react to the sight of her talking to his teacher. He'd hoped that she was just stopping by or checking on an assignment for a different class she had with the teacher. His hopes were dashed when their conversation ended. Veronica walked to the only remaining chair in the classroom; the chair, right next to him. She had gone on with business as usual, pulling out her notebook and taking notes on assignments and story ideas. She never spared a single glance in his direction. There was no nervousness on her part and no curiosity regarding him. If that hadn't been bad enough, finding that he was following her from that class to their shared fifth period class, made his heart sink.

One day at lunch, she'd invited everyone to join her for pizza after school. Logan decided to push his luck and show up. After all he wouldn't be Logan Echolls if he shrunk back and didn't push the envelope. She didn't even blink when he walked in and joined the group. In fact, she moved over in the booth to clear a spot for him to sit down.

Outside of the group, though, it was as if he didn't exist. She wasn't rude or mean to him, she truly just saw right through him. He'd never been dismissed so easily. If anything, people ALWAYS noticed Logan Echolls and always wanted to be noticed by him. Veronica, especially, had always noticed him. Whether it was when they were younger and always hanging out together or after Lilly died and she always knew where he was so that she could avoid him. He used to get such a kick out of watching her walk by. She was so timid, looking down at the ground and hoping that he wouldn't notice her. Then, when he would speak up and start in about her sluttiness or her mother's drunken behavior, he would watch as she'd blanch and her eyes would fill with tears. He just couldn't believe that this new, self-confident Veronica was the same girl he'd known.

He'd had enough. He decided he would corner her and force a conversation. He needed to see where her head was at and what she was planning. He needed to know if he was spinning his wheels. Being friends with these people, if she was just going to pull the rug out from under him would be a waste of his time. He hated that she had all of the power and he had none. Their roles had completely reversed...well, except for one thing. She may have had all of the power, but she had opted, at least to that point, not to use it against him. As soon as Veronica had chosen to stand with her father, Logan had eviscerated her. Then, he continued to ruin her life each day, just a little more than the day before.

She, on the other hand, had done nothing with the immense power she possessed. It had to have been a set-up, he was sure of it. He just needed to talk to her and find out what she had planned. Unfortunately, he had no idea of what he was going to do when he found out. Would he threaten her? Not physically, of course. He could be a psychotic jackass, but he'd never physically harm her. For him, physical violence was kept for guys who were his own size or larger, and who really deserved a beat down in his opinion.

He could threaten to tell everyone about what a slut she was. Unfortunately, the whole 'no dating' thing she'd been doing since she arrived at Pan, really wouldn't support those claims. He could tell them about Lilly and how Veronica had turned her back on the Kane family, only they had no allegiance to Lilly or the Kane family. They weren't swayed by the money and power and had never had the pleasure of Lilly's spell-binding company. Besides that, he may have hated Veronica, but he'd never use Lilly against her...not in that way. Everyone has their boundaries, Lilly was his. She was the line he never crossed.

'There's nothing I can threaten her with. No black mail, no power over her. What? Am I going to beg her? Please, Ronnie, don't ruin my life here at Pan High. Yeah, you'd think if hell froze over, it'd be on the news. Moving on. I have no idea what I'll do. Guess I'll worry about that when the time comes.' Logan's internal dialogue was driving him crazy. He was unable to come up with an appropriate course of action against Veronica.

(A/N: Hell freezes over taken from canon)

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After school Logan pulled Veronica into the girls' bathroom. He'd seen her do it several times with other kids at school and when he'd asked the guys about it, they'd told him that the bathroom was kind of like her office at school. Apparently, she'd been using the knowledge, skills and access she had through her father's P.I. business to help out the student population. She'd help kids discover secrets about their parents or help them track who posted rumors on the internet about them. She'd even channeled her father's business with the occasional cheating boyfriend or girlfriend case.

Veronica was startled a bit by the disturbance, but recovered quickly when she saw who had grabbed her. It was the most shaken up he'd seen her since he'd been there. He was amazed by the transformation in her attitude. She used to be very jumpy. You could scare her from behind and five minutes later, she'd still be grabbing her chest and trying to catch her breath. In fact, when they'd been friends so long ago, he'd found that to be one of his favorite past times. Getting a rise out of Veronica, always brought him a great deal of enjoyment.

"What do you need, Logan. I'm kind of in a hurry." Yeah, he knew she would be. She'd been running off immediately after school almost every day. Most of the kids in their group had their own cars or would ride with one of their friends and they would stick around for a while after school. They'd just be chatting or making plans. 'Cami', on the other hand, was always rushing away from the school with a smile on her face. None of their other friends ever said anything about it. He was sure that they all knew something he didn't. Whether she had to rush off to work or maybe she'd finally started dating and had to meet a boyfriend or something, he didn't know.

"I want to know what's going on." He stated simply, but strongly. She needed to know that he wasn't going to let her get out of the conversation without an answer.

"Going on with what, Logan?"

"With what? With you, with us? And what's with the name anyway? Since when have you gone by Cami?"

"There is no, us." She was already getting bored with the conversation and was looking toward the door.

"Veronica, you know what I mean! Why haven't you told anybody here how I treated you?" He was exasperated and his nerves were wearing thin.

She just simply shrugged like it was no big deal, but that wasn't good enough for him. He continued to stare her down, waiting for a real answer. She finally gave in, deciding that she didn't have any more time to waste.

"Look, Logan. We both know you're a psychotic jackass." Logan scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"The deal is, I'm happy here. I've got great friends, whom I love and who love me. I just figured that I would let them make up their own minds about you. This is your chance. Either, you'll change and become a decent human being again or you won't. They're smart, they'll see who you really are."

"But, they worship you. You could bury me here." He was skeptical.

"Maybe they do and maybe I could. Honestly, Logan, I've got other things to spend my time and energy on. You dropped off of my radar a long time ago and I've learned how much more there is to life than all of the high school crap. Look, I've gotta go. Do whatever you want." With that, she turned and opened the door to leave when he spoke again.

"Wait!" She turned back to look at him, wondering what more there was to say.

"Cami?" Logan asked. She remembered his earlier question about her new name.

"It's just a nickname. They gave it to me after Mac and Wallace had helped me out on a few cases. Because I have to dress in disguises and fit into any situation, they decided that I was like a chamaeleon. Hence, Cami." She shrugged. "It wasn't some big statement I was making or me trying to hide. I started out as Veronica and they all know that's my name, but Wallace and Mac thought up Cami one day and it took off like wildfire."

With that, she walked out of the bathroom.

Logan just stayed there, considering her words. He was really starting to get irritated by the amount of times she'd given him the brush-off and left him speechless.

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Logan laid in his bed that night considering the conversation he'd had with Veronica. He wondered if it could really be so simple. That after everything he'd done to her, she'd moved on and would not try to influence her friends regarding him. It was such a foreign concept to him. In his experience, if you had power, you used it as much as possible. It bothered him and completely confused him.

If Veronica had acted the way he assumed she would, then he'd know what to expect. On the other hand, if she had acted how he thought she should, he would have been shunned that first day and scraping by for friends. Was he supposed to be thankful to her for that? That was not in his nature at all. After all, he still had a right to hate her for turning her back on Lilly and her friends.

Still, Logan had to admit that the Veronica he'd been exposed to that week embodied everything his friends had described. She truly was kind, caring, hot, gorgeous, funny and if he hadn't been waiting for the other shoe to drop, he would have had fun being around her. She had risen above everything he'd put her through. She was strong, yet compassionate. She trusted her friends and she was willing to give Logan a second chance. That didn't sit well with him.

Logan tossed and turned the entire night trying to keep her words at bay, but they just kept coming back to him. 'This is your chance. Either, you'll change and become a decent human being again or you won't.' She had thrown down the challenge...even if he hadn't agreed with the premise that he hadn't been a decent human being. Granted maybe he hadn't been to her, but he'd been justified in his actions toward her. That was hardly the point, though. The point, the issue really, was what he was going to do?

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Logan had been laying low all week. Everything seemed mechanical to him. Get up in the morning, get dressed. Talk with the guys in the hall until the first bell. Sit through class and take notes when he could concentrate enough to do so. Go to lunch, mildly engage in conversation and laugh when everyone else laughed. Strategically sit somewhere behind Veronica in their afternoon classes so he could watch her without her knowing. After school it was the beach, food and whatever else he could do to avoid going home. Go to bed and get ready to do it again. Friday morning began no different. He was standing by his locker with Richie and Wallace when the conversation caught his attention.

"Well Wallace, who is the lucky girl going to be this year?" Richie jested.

"I don't know, man. There are just so many possibilities for such a top-notch athlete such as myself. With my mad skills on the court and these superstar quality looks I've got going on...I'm wondering if I shouldn't just spread the wealth and show up with a couple of fine honey's on my arms." Wallace joked back. Both boys were laughing at the obvious insincerity of his answer. "Actually, I'm thinking about talking to Christine," Wallace continued a bit more seriously.

"Really? As in head cheerleader, Christine? Nice."

"Yeah, what about you? You gonna show up with another 'out-of-town girlfriend, (coughs)cousin(coughs), like you did last year?" Wallace figured if Richie was going to dish it out, he'd better be ready to take it. He only laughed when Richie responded with a punch to the arm.

"Hey, she was not my cousin! That's sick man." Richie stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked down at his shoes in an uncharacteristically shy move. He continued talking, but his voice had taken on a more quiet and trepid tone. "No, this year I'm thinking of someone a little closer to home and let's just say someone who has a flair for color."

"Seriously? Finally, man. It's been forever. How long have you been hung up on her anyway?"

"Well, besides a brief fascination with Cami, pretty much since high school started. I figure I've been laying the ground work," Richie chuckled, a slight pink coloring his cheeks.

"Ground work? Dude, with as slow as you've been moving, you must have been working brick by brick. So, you're finally gonna get the computer nerd into a party dress, huh?" Wallace was needling Richie, but they both adored Mac. They had all been friends since high school had begun and Wallace had had to endure the longing looks that Richie shot her on a regular basis. Wallace was pretty sure that those looks hadn't just been one-sided, but Richie had never been confident in her interest in him. She was super intelligent and creative and had very little interest in sports unless her friends were there. He knew he wasn't a dumb jock, but he still wasn't on her level and figured she was out of his league.

"Hey, she prefers the term 'computer geek'. Get it straight." They laughed again, knowing that Mac took great pride in being a true computer geek.

"What are you two talking about?" Logan finally interjected. His eyebrows were knitted together in obvious confusion.

"The dance," Wallace shot back.

"What dance?" Wallace and Richie looked at each other and then back at Logan like he'd just woken up from a ten-year coma.

"Uh, the Homecoming dance," Richie replied slowly.

"Homecoming?" Logan knew he was sounding stupid and it had obviously been a topic of conversation, based on the looks he was getting from his friends, but it was the first he was hearing of it.

"Yeah, man. It's in less than a month. Haven't you noticed any of the posters hanging up or I don't know, been listening to the conversations at lunch at all this week?" The guys were laughing and smacking him on the back. That's when Logan looked around the hall and realized that it was plastered with dance paraphernalia from one end to the other. Suddenly he was feeling kind of stupid. Of course Homecoming was coming up. Every year before, Logan would have already been in the middle of planning the limo party or the suite party or the after party at the Kane Estate. It was usually one of the best parties of the year, even when most times it would only include his closest friends.

"Dude, where have you been?" Richie chuckled as the bell rang and they began to disperse to their classes.

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Logan was a little more aware of his surroundings while sitting at the lunch table that afternoon. The conversation with the guys was suddenly becoming clear as he watched the nervous glances Richie was shooting Mac. He saw the way she smiled at Richie in a way that was only for him. His heart broke a little as he remembered the last time he'd felt that way. It seemed like it'd been so long ago. It was, really. It'd been three years prior. Prior to him being sent to Pan High and his world turning upside down, prior to Lilly's brutal murder, prior to the dissolution of the Fab Four and prior to all the break-ups and make-ups that he and Lilly had endured. For the first time in a long time, he realized how much he missed that mixture of nerves and excitement. That feeling that you get when you like someone, but you're not sure how they feel. Logan hadn't been paying any attention to the dating scene since Veronica had shown up at Pan High.

Logan was awestruck by how much Veronica had been consuming his thoughts. Entire happenings had been going on around him all week and he hadn't noticed because he'd been so singularly focused on her. He wasn't sure what he should do about Homecoming. With as much attention as he'd received from the girls at Pan High, none of them had really caught his eye. They were almost three weeks into the school year and he hadn't gotten himself a girlfriend, casual dates or a list of candidates for the dance yet. Yeah, he'd definitely been distracted.

His thoughts were interrupted and his head shot up at the sound of his friend's voice. "What about you, Cami? You going to the dance?" Wallace asked.

The question seemed to catch Veronica off-guard and at her hesitation he added, "Come on, it'll be great. We can share a limo." Wallace sing-songed the last part.

At the mention of the limo, Logan and Veronica's eyes met. They knew what the other person was remembering...a homecoming and a limo shared among friends. Without realizing it, Logan held his breath waiting for her response. He watched as her eyes flickered and she looked back at Wallace. Logan could tell that she was trying to cover the affect the question had on her.

She adopted a wistful smile as she answered him. "I don't know about that, Wallace. The last Homecoming I was supposed to attend turned out as a limo party instead. We never made it to the dance and my dad wasn't too happy about it the next morning when he was waiting at my boyfriend's house, for us to return." She couldn't help but laugh at the memory of how much fun they'd had and how horrible it was when she saw the police cruiser parked in front of the Kane Estate. What she didn't expect was the knowing chuckle that had unwittingly escaped Logan's mouth as well.

Their confused friends turned to him and Richie asked what they were all wondering. "Have you heard this story before? I know you guys used to go to school together."

They all just waited for an answer that didn't seem to come. Logan wasn't sure what he should say. Anything he revealed could lead to more questions and put him in a position he was trying to avoid by exposing his actions against Veronica to their group of friends. He also wasn't sure what Veronica had told them about her past. No one had said anything about it when they found out that he had gone to school with her. There was just no way of knowing what she'd told them or what she wanted them to know. Before he could stumble over his words, Veronica spoke up.

"Actually, he was there, too." Logan couldn't believe she was revealing so much and was afraid that the moment had come.

"Really? I didn't know you were friends. I just thought you went to the same school." It was Wallace who questioned her. He was shocked at the information because he hadn't seen a familiarity in them past the slight acquaintance.

"Well, at the time, we were dating siblings. He was dating my boyfriend's sister, so we just ended up in the same limo." It rolled off of her tongue so easily, Logan thought. He'd spent so long minimizing what they had meant to each other when they were part of the Fab Four, but it was like a stab in the heart to hear Veronica state it so plainly. It was a simple explanation, without any of the intricacies that had been their life for the four years leading up to Lilly's murder.

At any point in the previous year, Logan would have loved if Veronica had forgotten the friendship they'd shared. He had certainly tried to put every nail in the coffin of that relationship. He was getting what he had wanted, but it didn't soothe him as he once thought it would.

The bell for lunch rang and everyone said their goodbye's. Before he could stop himself, Logan propelled himself toward Veronica. He grabbed her arm gently and she turned toward him. Their friends had gone ahead of them and no one noticed that the two had stopped to converse.

"I dated your boyfriend's sister?" Logan couldn't help the annoyed tone.

"Yeah." Logan just stared at her, expecting her to continue, but she didn't.

"Well, that's simplifying it a bit, don't you think?" 'Why am I letting Veronica Mars get to me like this? Why do I even care how she qualifies our past?' Even thinking of it as 'our' past was driving him crazy.

"It is the truth, Logan. I just didn't embellish it with all the details. Plus, what should I have said? Would you have liked me to tell them all of the details about how things used to be? And where should I have started? Back on the soccer field or just after Lilly died?" Veronica's expression was filled with passion.

Finally, Logan felt like he was stirring some sort of emotion in her. He didn't want her to get angry with him and turn their friends against him, but he just hated her complete apathy toward him.

"Well, I don't know. I just didn't expect you to completely avoid the topic of our friendship, either." There it was, friendship. He'd spoken it out loud. They had been friends.

"What friendship, Logan?" Gone was the passion in her voice and back was the apathy and straight-forward attitude. "I had one friend at Neptune High and she died almost a year ago."

"What are you talking about? Even with everything that has happened, you have to admit that you had friends before you sided with your dad." Then, sarcastically, he added, "You remember the Fab Four, don't you?"

"I do remember the Fab Four, but I seem to be the only one here who recognizes it for what it really was," she shot back unfazed.

"And what was it?"

"It was a group formed out of a connection that we all held with Lilly. Duncan was Lilly's brother and friend. We dated because of her. You were Lilly's boyfriend and I was her best friend. The quasi-relationships the rest of us had were only a side effect of our connection to Lilly."

"Wow! Quasi-relationships? You dated Duncan for two years." Logan was holding up two fingers to emphasize his point. "You and I used to hang out together all the time. We would talk about everything. Next to Duncan, you were my best friend and in some ways an even better friend than he had been. We would have done anything for you and you just threw it all away."

"That's where you're wrong, Logan. You seem to be remembering things much better than they were. If we had been that close, if you would have done anything for me, you wouldn't have treated me the way you did. I can understand the rest of the 09er's, but you and Duncan cannot begin to say that you were my true friends. A true friend wouldn't have treated me the way the two of you did. Between him breaking up with me without even telling me and then watching as you tore me to shreds day in and day out, you can't say a word. That's not what true friends do, Logan. Even IF, and that's a big IF, I was wrong for standing by my dad, you took it too far to claim that you were ever my friend. Friends get mad at each other, friends even stop talking to each other, they grow apart. They don't slash each other's tires, prank call each other, egg the other's house. They certainly don't spread completely false rumors about their virtue. If you knew me, if you loved me like a true friend does, you wouldn't have tried to annihilate me."

"What about what you did? What about you telling Lilly about me and Yolanda? What about you standing against the Kane's?" Logan was hot and his voice louder than normal. He couldn't let her forget that everything that had gone wrong had been her fault. He knew that she was just trying to make him feel guilty and he refused to do it.

"It was my dad, Logan? What was I supposed to do? He and my mother had been the only solids I'd known my entire lives and all of the sudden I was just supposed to turn my back on him? I didn't make the decision to go after the Kane's and I'm not even sure of all of his reasons, but I know my dad. I know he was a great Sheriff and I know I trusted him to be fair. I know that he had his reasons, whatever they were. Whether he was right or wrong, he wasn't given a chance to find out. As for you and Yolanda? Give me a break. Are you trying to tell me that you wouldn't have said anything to Duncan if you'd caught me cheating on him?" She had begun to get worked up again. She had put so much of this behind her and was in a great place in her life with her new friends and the situation at home. This was the first time, though, that she'd been given the opportunity to strike back and to truly have her side heard.

Logan stood there flabbergasted. He opened his mouth several times to retort, but nothing came. Before he could push down all that she had said in place for his own argument, she cut him off.

"Look," she said, having completely regained her composure. "It just doesn't matter anymore. It's been over for a long time. What we were or weren't doesn't matter anymore, right? You've wanted to forget me for the past year and you would have succeeded had you not landed yourself here, in the middle of my friends. That wasn't my fault.

You don't want to lose those friends and I have no intention of telling them what you've done. What more do you want? It's as good a scenario as you're going to get. There are enough people in our group, you don't even have to talk to me and they think you're great. Stop going out of your way to talk to someone you hate. Stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours. It's really that simple. Just live your life." With that, Veronica was gone.

Logan felt like punching a wall! Once again, she'd gotten the final word and had left him speechless. Once again, she'd shown that his existence at Pan High hadn't fazed her. Besides the momentary passion in her response, she was as apathetic as ever toward him.

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A/N: The part where Veronica says that they weren't really her friends was inspired by 'The Results' by meimei42. She has a great smack down scene where V just goes after L for his treatment of her.

Frost Merry Darkness Luver: Wow! What a name. Heehee. Ahh, yes. His Ronnie. Now we just have to convince the two of them that she is his Ronnie. Shall we?

MarsLoVe4eVer: Thank you, thank you very much!

XXspuffster101: Well, the truth has been revealed, at least as far as the name goes. Much more will be revealed in Chapter 4. Wait for it, wait for it... BTW, thanks for the great review. You know I love you and I really appreciate you sticking with me through the personal stuff.

RogueAvril: Hmmmm...Weevil or Principal Clemmons, huh? Well, maybe. I actually have a scenario coming down the pike that could possibly include those two characters. We'll see, though. I haven't gotten it completely lined out yet. Okay, so the name thing was answered, but chapter 4 will reveal more. I'm so glad that you liked it and I loved hearing from you.

SnarkQueen: Well, what did you think of the name explanation. I hope it wasn't too off the wall. Anyway, I love me some Jealous Logan too! We may see some in the future. Not quite yet, though. A little bit of L/V confrontation here. Still she brushes him off...hee hee.

Bluephoenix70: (bowing down in thanks). You're right. Perfect and original are extremely wonderful compliments and I truly appreciate them. I am a bit of a perfectionist and I really strive to come up with original stories. It's difficult because there are so many VM fics out there and a lot of great ideas. Thank you so much. I hope I continue to earn your praise.

Magic Crystal Rose: Ah, ah, ah...jumping ahead, aren't we? It hasn't been confirmed that V was pregnant. Hmmmmm...hee hee hee. More truths shall be revealed in Chapter 4. Thanks for the review!

jotajota15: Ding, ding, ding, ding! You are the winner! A cookie goes to you for your carelessly thrown out idea that V is like a Chameleon. How little you knew that you were in fact, a genius! Hahahaha. Okay, I have to say that since you were thinking along the same lines as me. Truly, of all the reviews here and at The Love Shack, you are the only one who guessed it. Whew! Glad I wasn't too off the wall, at least. Thanks for the great review! BTW, the cookie is totally of the chocolate form. I don't do anything, but chocolate as it is a waste of time, energy and space. Thank you very much!

kylie144: ok, so hopefully this chapter cleared up a bit of your confusion. If not, don't worry, I'm betting the next chapter will definitely shed some light for you. Thanks! Great to hear from you as always.

Glamorouspirate: Thank you so much! I hope you continue to enjoy it. BTW, what does a glamorous pirate look like, anyway? (Smiles)

alligirl785: ok, so you put so much thought and effort into the Cami name. What do you think about the explanation? Is it disappointing? I hope not. What did you think about the L/V interaction in this chapter. She was forced into a bit more of a response in this one. BTW, thanks for the well wishes on the personal side. We should form a club for those who have been left behind.

vmarslovahhh18: Ah, more face-to-face action. What did you think? I love that V has the upper hand. Although, Logan/JD is truly my absolute favorite of the entire VM universe, including KB/Veronica, there was a time when he needed his stuff handed to him on a silver platter. I love that she has the upper hand right now.

aghostisborn: ok, ok. Hmmmm, I am hoping that once we get past the first few chapters, there will be some true angst for you. The Cami thing was pretty obvious because of the way I described her. Don't worry though, she is still Veronica and Logan will continue to refer to her as Veronica. Do you have any tips for me? I think that I've got some good twists coming in future chapters, but hopefully they will work. Thanks for the great review. Keep it coming.

Harri-bean: So glad you are loving it. I think that there are a few more things I can attack in the storyline and have them be believable if they are a year older. We'll see. Thank for reading. I hope I can keep you interested.

LilLadyMe: Thank you so much. Yeah, it was a little difficult to hide Cami's true identity considering she is the other main character in the story. But, don't worry, there will be some twists along the way. Probably not as many as DL had. I couldn't keep that thing in a straight line if I tried. Ha ha!

onealj33: AH, wonderful! Yes, I absolutely do feel special. I truly appreciate you taking the time to review and I love that suckered you in with DL and am doing the same here. I'm hoping the long wait on this chapter did not quell your interest, but if did, hopefully this chapter got you back. I love hearing people say that they have questions running through their minds or that they are playing out different scenarios for what can happen, because that is what I do. When I'm reading a good fic, I do the same thing. It truly is a compliment that someone reads what you have written and doesn't want it to end. They keep thinking on it long after the chapter is finished. Thanks again! I hope to hear from you again, but I will understand if you don't. AND, what did you think about the Cami name?

SoManyObsessions: First of all, I don't know how you do it. I only have this one obsession and I just don't have time for any others. But, thanks so much for your interest in this AU diddy. I hope I continue to keep you hooked. Thanks for the review!

Nicole Therese: Sorry for the wait on this chapter. Okay, so hopefully the confrontations that Logan forced in this chapter have made you feel a little better. Even with his bluntness here, I still want him to hold back some. I really feel like, as arrogant as he can be, he really understands the predicament that he's in at PH. Thanks!

Vmfan387: Thank you, thank you, thank you. With all of the great fics out there, I really love that I can find something that readers find original. It has been my goal with both DL and PHR. Thank you!

RaeRaeRaeLiz: I'm so glad you are enjoying the story thus far. We had a little more interaction this chapter. What did you think? Wait one more chapter before we answer the implants questions, ok? Thanks for the great review. It was wonderful to hear from you.

LoVefan4ever: I just love your reviews! They are so thoughtful and indepth. You are right. There is nothing that bothers Logan more than for people to not take notice when he is around and V is doing a great job of brushing him off. In this chapter, though, Logan forced a couple of meetings. What did you think? How about Cami? Definitely wasn't Laguna Beach. Was it really off the wall? It's true, what you say about LoVe. I've got a couple of friendships with people that have been built on LoVe. People that I wouldn't have had contact with and whom I have very little in common with, outside of LoVe. Thanks, again! I love hearing from you.

enchantedlight: Thanks so much. I'm glad you're enjoying it. Hopefully the delay in this chapter wasn't too bad.

Isilady: Well, stick with me for another chapter. Chapter 4 will answer your questions, then we'll talk. Thanks for the review. I really appreciate you taking the time out.

Christykq: You know, my sister's name is Christy. Just a side note. Hee hee. Ok, so please don't hate me yet. Yes, she is Cami, but that's only a nickname and it's just what a few people call her. Logan and her dad, people like that still and will always know and refer to her as Veronica. The other part of your review won't be addressed until chapter 4 and beyond so I can't say anything yet. That's right. These lips are sealed! Stick with me and tell me what you think, though.

LostnStarsHollow: so glad you are enjoying it. Give me one more chapter for the thoughts rattling around in your head. Then, we'll talk. Thanks for the review, though. I really do love hearing from you.

Mallikad: Believe me, I was more surprised than anyone at the reviews. I love posting here because people are so responsive. It's wonderful. With DL, it was great. By the end, I felt like I had really connected with those reviewers who had reviewed on so many of the chapters. I feel like I really got to know some of them. It was great. Cami is not my daughter's name, but what did you think of the true meaning behind it? Too off the wall? Thanks for the great review and the great compliment. The fact that anyone liked my fic so much it inspired them to write is beyond words for me. I've never seen myself as a writer and when I posted the first chapter of DL, I truly expected to get booed out of the fandom. I was shocked after I posted each chapter that I wasn't hearing the sound of the gong. With PHR, I'm just nervous that it will be a let down from how much people enjoyed DL. Agh! The angst that dwells within the human spirit. Hee hee

xD Jenn6891: sorry for the wait. I'm glad you're enjoying it. Hope this chapter stays on course! Thank you so much for the review.

firebirdgirl: yes, Lilly would have loved to see her this way. As much as I don't care for the actions Lilly took and the person I think she really was, I do believe that she truly loved Veronica. Yeah, there's a lot Logan is going to have to rethink if he's going to survive at Pan. Thanks for the review!

Beccakell13: I'm glad you are liking this one and it's good to see you after DL. What did you think of the Cami name reveal?

Maiqu: ok, so the name question was answered here. What did you think? Thanks for the review.

xosummerxo: Well, part of the questions have been answered now, but don't worry. There is much more to reveal coming. Good hearing from you again.

Caroliine: Okay, one question for you. Did you give me your sickness? Because now I'm sick. Hmmm...you can't be trusted, I tell you. Haha. Anyway, I'm glad I was able to give you something to read while you were cooped up at home. Of course, reading fan fic or learning French...hmmm, yeah, I'm thinking I would have rather been you that day. Anyway, thanks for the review!

LoVeElle: Ah, one of my favs. You have always been a great reviewer! You always have so many thoughts going on, I just love it. Anyway, the name Cami. What did you think? I hope you weren't disappointed that it didn't come from any of the 3 seasons that you were going to go watch. Really, though, it's never a waste to watch VM again, right? Although, I do have to say that the second time I watched S2 with the Hannah debacle, I just wanted to scratch my eyes out. I hated her with a passion greater than my love for Logan...and that's saying a lot! Thanks for the well wishes on the baby. He's beautiful!! Oh, what did you think of their confrontations in this chappie?

SoDa.PoP9: You know, I think that he was just so thrown by seeing her there that he could barely speak, let alone get mouthy. Thanks for the review!!

Emifaith: Well, what did you think of the name reveal? I hope you enjoyed this chapter even though you had to wait extra long. Your other questions will be answered in the next chapter and after. Thanks for the review. It was great hearing from you.


	4. Chapter 4

Pan High Rules

Chapter 4

A/N: Okay, so I know that I've been focusing a lot on Logan and his thoughts. We haven't gotten to see a whole lot of V yet, but it will come. I did it purposely partially because I'm in love with Logan and partially because I wanted the reader to be a little in the dark with Logan. Also, I just want to send a shout out to my great friend Chandramas who has been with me since DL and has been hearing about this story since DL was still being posted. She's put in a full year with me and I thank her for all of her great feedback and encouragement and ideas along the way.

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Two weeks since Veronica's arrival at Pan High and one since Logan had confronted her about their past. He'd been amazed that she seemed to be staying true to her word. She still had not told anyone about him and what he'd done to her. He couldn't believe it. He'd spent so much time wishing she'd evaporate from his life after Lilly had died and she'd sided with her father. Now, though, it actually had started to bother him that she didn't seem to be affected by his presence in her life.

'Maybe there is a guy. That would explain why she hasn't gone out with anyone here and why she doesn't care that I'm here.'

"Where's Veronica?" He asked, noticing that she was absent from the lunch table. He still couldn't bring himself to call her Cami. It just didn't fit for him. No one seemed to care, they had known her as Veronica for months before her nickname had caught on like wild fire.

"Keith's here. I think she went to see him in The Grove," Mac answered. 'The Grove' was an uncommonly treed area on the North side of the school. Logan hadn't been there yet, but he'd heard of it. Supposedly, it was pretty secluded. "She doesn't really want to expose him to the entire school."

'Why would Keith be at the school? That's just weird. And, why is she keeping him away from everyone? Does this have something to do with his hospital stay? Is his immune system compromised or something?'

There was a time when Logan would have considered himself a world renowned expert on the subject of Veronica Mars. Now, though, it seemed he barely knew her at all. There were so many secrets that he wasn't clued in on and they were driving him crazy. He wanted some more answers and figured that her meeting with Keith was his chance to find out what she was up to.

"Hey, I'll be back in a few minutes," he told his friends and walked off, before they could question or join him.

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Logan made his way to the North side of the school in record time. Because all of his classes were on the other side of the campus, usually there was no reason for him to be there. Everything he'd heard was right, though. It was a very quiet and peaceful area, shaded by large trees. He made a note of the great make-out location for future use.

He walked quietly through the trees, hoping that he wouldn't alert Veronica and her father to his presence. He really didn't want to let her know that he was following her; and he definitely wasn't looking forward to being face to face with Mr. Mars again. He had almost given up on finding them when he rounded a tree and tripped over something.

"Ow!" Veronica yelped as Logan snapped his head in her direction.

"Holy Crap!" He shouted as his bugged-out eyes landed on a bare-breasted Veronica sitting on the ground. She was holding a baby in her arms and her bra was pulled down, exposing one breast.

"Geez, Logan!" Veronica screeched as she rushed to cover herself. Logan, who was in a state of shock, scrambled to his feet and spun away from her quickly.

"Intrude much?" Veronica was fuming. She knew that Logan couldn't have just stumbled upon her. She had chosen 'The Grove' specifically because of its seclusion and quiet nature. "What are you doing here?

"What am I doing here?" Logan gasped. He was having trouble catching his breath and had to rest his arms on his knees for support. Not that he would have stayed calm and collected if she had just flashed him, but at that moment it wasn't her nudity he was reeling from. It was what she was doing with her bare breast that had him gasping for breath as if it were his last. That, the disgraceful trip over her legs and the subsequent scramble to upright himself.

"Well, I would think it was obvious, but since you seem to need an explanation...I'm nursing. Well, at least I was trying to nurse." Veronica knew that this moment would come. Well, she didn't expect Logan to trip over her and come almost face-to-face with her bare breast. That was unexpected.

Although she hadn't been dreading Logan's discovery of her new life, she hadn't been looking forward to it either. She stood behind the choices that she had made and she was happy in her new role. She was still new to it, though. She was a quick study, but still lacked a great deal of confidence. She certainly didn't need any negativity from Logan on top of her own concerns.

"What do you mean you're nursing? You have to be a mom to do that!" Logan felt like he was in the middle of some sick joke or set up.

'This is it,' he thought. 'She's finally got me.' He looked around, half expecting to see the hidden camera crew popping out from behind the trees.

"You can turn around now. I'm covered." Logan turned slowly to look at her, wondering if his mind had been playing tricks on him. There she was, propped up against a tree and nuzzling, the tiniest baby Logan had ever seen, against her chest. The baby was wrapped up in a thin blue blanket and Logan noticed a smattering of dark hair sticking out from under the cap he was wearing. He couldn't see much of the baby's face as most of it was covered by another blanket. Veronica had draped a second blanket over her shoulder and the front of her body in order to keep the remaining bits of her modesty intact.

"Logan, meet my son, Keith Mars. We call him Baby Keith to avoid any confusion around the house." She said simply and looked him straight in the eye. It was as if she was daring him to make a comment about her virtue.

Logan couldn't believe what he was hearing and seeing. Sure, her nursing would tip most people off, but hearing the actual words brought the reality of the situation home. Veronica Mars was a mom.

It had been about a year since Duncan and Veronica broke up and Logan's mind was racing with questions. Veronica watched as his wild eyes danced around The Grove as if looking for answers. If it had been any other situation, she may have laughed at him.

"Don't hurt yourself trying to do the math. I got pregnant in December...**before** leaving Neptune High." She knew what he was thinking and what he wanted to know.

Forgetting that they weren't friends and that they didn't normally sit around and chat, he just started blurting out his questions as he paced in front of her.

"How old is he? When did you get pregnant? Who's the father?" He didn't know how much he expected Veronica to tell him, but he desperately wanted to know.

"Although I don't owe you an explanation, I don't have any reason to be ashamed of him. I'll answer some of your questions because I'm a mommy who loves to talk about my baby," she said as she gazed down at her son and lightly stroked his head.

He was born on August Eight, but he was three weeks early. It's fairly common for teenage moms to give birth prematurely, but Baby Keith's lungs were still a bit under-developed. He wasn't actually due until the twenty-ninth. But, after a little while in the hospital, he was fine. Perfect, really." Her features had softened and Logan was taken by the love and contentment he saw in her. "As for when I got pregnant, I just told you. I got pregnant in December."

Logan could tell that she was truly happy talking about her son. It was the most animated he'd seen her during a conversation with him since before Lilly died. She was practically glowing as she continued gently caressing her son's head while he ate.

"Who's his dad?" He asked gently. His curiosity really had gotten the best of him and he almost cringed when he saw the bright smile disappear from her face immediately.

"It doesn't matter. He's not in the picture," she stated in a business-like manner. It was as if she was just stating the facts, although he could tell that there was something more to the story.

"Look, Logan. You can do whatever you want with this piece of juicy gossip. Like I said before, I have nothing to be ashamed of. I really have more important things to be concerned with than what new insults you can come up with.

I've got a baby, now. I have his and my future to think about. I'm not here to socialize and be the Homecoming Queen. I don't have time to date around or go to parties and get drunk. I do appreciate my friends here and they've been a life-saver, but my loyalty lies with my son.

I'm raising Keith and I have responsibilities that reach well beyond the halls of high school. I have to focus on him and what's best for him, which is why I left Neptune High. Had I stayed, I would have been able to handle all of the sneers and comments and rumors. I had even come up with a plan. I wasn't going to just take it anymore. I was going to get tough and start fighting back and when possible, get loads of revenge on you and everyone else.

When I found out that I was pregnant, though, all of that changed. It was no longer about my pride or what I wanted. I know that, to everyone else, it looked like I had given in and run away. I had to suck up my pride, though, and consider what was best for the child growing inside of me. The stress and emotional exhaustion would have just gotten worse when you and the others found out I was pregnant. Could you imagine the rumors then? Of course you can, you would have been the person spreading them," she said wistfully.

"I had to protect the health of my baby and that stress wouldn't have helped." She shrugged as if it hadn't been a decision she'd agonized over. Like she hadn't yelled and cried to her father about how unfair it all was. Like it hadn't killed her inside knowing that she would look like a coward to all of the 09ers she hated so passionately.

"Everyone here knows about the baby. In fact, I received so many baby gifts at the end of last year that even you would have been impressed. I wouldn't be surprised if half of the school gave me gifts and enough money to cover diapers for a year! So, I wouldn't waste your time spreading any gossip here, but I'm sure the other 09ers would love to hear that slutty Veronica Mars got herself knocked up."

Her words sounded defensive, but her attitude and tone of voice showed Logan how much she truly didn't care about the gossip and rumors anymore. It also showed how much confidence she held in her Pan High classmates. Logan had seen it, too. He knew how devoted and loyal they were to her. They would protect her no matter what. School had been in session for three weeks and the most popular girl missed the first week because she'd had a baby. He had never heard mention of the baby until his friends were asking Veronica how he was doing. At Neptune, it didn't matter how close of friends you were with someone, that kind of gossip would have been all over the place.

"I, uh, wow." Logan was speechless. Again. Enough had happened in his life that he thought nothing could shock him into silence anymore. Yet, Veronica had proven him wrong time and again since he'd started school at Pan High. He had no idea of what to do with his new knowledge.

Logan still hated her. After all, she had turned her back on Lilly and Duncan and him when she'd sided with her father. But, how do you hate someone who shares your same friends? In fact, someone who is the Queen of your high school? It's not as if you can even get a new group of friends to hang out with. He'd be surprised if he could come up with ten students in the entire school who didn't have glowing reviews of her. Even then, those ten would all be from the Freshman class. Once they got to know her, they'd probably love her, too.

Besides all of that, once she left Neptune High the previous year and she wasn't there to fuel his hatred each day, it had died down considerably. He'd never tell her that, but it was difficult to conger up the same depth of hatred he'd had for her immediately after it had all happened.

Veronica's voice cut into his thoughts. She knew the struggle that he was having. She knew that he still hated her. "I didn't tell you this because we're friends, Logan. Just simply because everyone already knows about it and you could ask any of them yourself. If I had left it up to them, though, it would still be like I'm trying to hide something. The only thing I'm trying to hide here, is my breast. Plus, I'm not ready to expose Baby Keith to so many people and germs yet. That's all this is. We're not exchanging friendship bracelets or anything."

"Uh, yeah," Logan nodded, not knowing what else he should do. He knew he was being dismissed, like one of the Queens subjects, and yet, he couldn't think of any reason to fight with her about it. Deep down, he knew she didn't buy into all of the popularity and wasn't trying to be rude. She was just trying to have a peaceful feeding with her son. He did the only thing he could do at that point. He walked away.

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Logan drifted through the rest of the school day. He wanted to talk to Duncan about this new development, but knew that he was still in his classes at Neptune High. He sent Duncan a text message. 'meet. ur hse aftr schl.'

Logan heard nothing his teachers had to say and only grunted out responses to his friends' attempts at conversations. He only had one focus and only heard one sound. The chanting of questions running on a constant loop through his mind proved deafening. 'Who is the father? Does Duncan know? Is that why he broke up with her? Was she cheating on him with the father? Do I know him? Does he go to Neptune High? Is that why she really left? Does he know he's got a kid? How could he just walk away from her and their child? Maybe they weren't dating. Was it a one-night stand? Were they just fooling around? Does she even know who the father is?"

Even though he'd fueled most of the rumors about Veronica's non-existent purity, Logan had never believed that she was a slut. Even now, with the knowledge that she'd gotten pregnant, it still didn't make sense. At least, the Veronica he'd known could have never slept around. He knew enough about her just by being friends with her. Add to that, with the information that Duncan and Lilly would share with him, he knew that she'd been as pure as the driven snow.

Logan kept trying to convince himself that he hadn't really known her because the girl he knew never would have turned her back on her friends. Unfortunately, every time he told himself that, he wasn't convinced. He'd been forced to think about that time in their lives quite a bit since he'd first seen her at Pan High. He consistently and begrudgingly came up with the same conclusions. He'd been upset with her because she hadn't been loyal...only she had been. She'd been loyal to her father. He may have been wrong when he went after Jake Kane, but she stood by him.

Although Logan had never had the kind of loving relationship with his father or the kind of trust-filled relationship with his mother that Veronica had with Keith, he'd seen the duo in action for years. He'd seen enough that he may not have fully understood it, but he knew it was real. He knew how close they were. He'd been trying to deny the conclusion that he came to every time. If he'd been in her shoes, he may have done the same thing. Not, of course, for the abusive Aaron...and although he loved his mother very much, he knew he couldn't trust her. Keith, though, was loving and kind and fiercely protective of his baby girl. He had his stuff together and Logan knew that the man had been a decent and fair Sheriff.

Logan had been trying to come to terms with this new thought process and was nowhere near being ready to voice those thoughts out loud to Veronica...or anyone else. With this new information, her having a child, he was in a tailspin. He needed the third remaining member of the "Fab Four" to help him pull out of it and process everything he'd learned.

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Veronica had been startled by Logan's presence when she was nursing Baby Keith. She hadn't expected anyone to walk up on them, let alone Logan. She was no longer scared of him and what he could do to her life, like she'd been before she left Neptune High. Not only was she confident in her solid group of friends, but if she chose to acknowledge it, she knew that she was the most popular girl in school. Logan didn't have the same power at Pan High that he'd had at Neptune.

It was an oddly familiar situation. When she'd been Lilly's friend, she'd been the second most popular girl at Neptune. The other students looked up to her, wanted to be her, wanted to date her, or at the least envied the life she had. Lilly had ruled the school with an iron will and enjoyed it. Veronica had spent so much of that time trying to keep everyone happy. She went along with so many of Lilly's schemes simply so she didn't rock the boat. Although, Veronica wouldn't have verbalized it at the time, she had been amazed that she was allowed into the 09er circle for as long as she was. She had known that she didn't really merit entry into the elite group, and she was happy that Duncan and Lilly had not cast her aside as they got older and social pressures increased. Veronica had been living her vision of the perfect life and would have done almost anything to keep it that way.

She'd changed so much in just a year. The things that had been so important to her then, seemed like a lifetime of changes ago. Although, she had even more power at Pan High than she'd had as Lilly's best friend, she wasn't so afraid of losing it. Her priorities had changed and if she lost that position, it wouldn't be the end of the world.

Veronica loved her friends and loved attending Pan High, but her focus was and had to be her son. If everything else faded away, it would be alright as long as Baby Keith was healthy and safe. Having said that, Veronica couldn't keep the curiosity away. It wasn't that she was scared about what Logan would do with this new information as much as she was curious.

Although she'd been living her life and focusing on her son, she couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable Logan had been since he saw her at the lunch table that first day. He'd been walking around on eggshells around her and she was genuinely curious to see what he would do. What decision would he make? Would he try to turn the school against her? Would he be nice to her face, but then cruel behind her back? Or would he move past their feud and try to make it out of his senior year without all of the drama?

She couldn't help herself. She was a naturally curious person. Plus, she had to admit that it did feel a little GREAT to see the over-confident, no...arrogant, Logan Echolls so unsure of himself.

Normally, Veronica would make it through the two afternoon classes they shared without even recognizing his presence. Following his discovery of Keith though, she was intent on watching his every move. She had to hold back the laughter that wanted to escape as she watched him move in a catatonic-like state. His body was moving, but he was not engaged at all in his surroundings.

By the end of the day, Veronica knew that things were far from settled. The way Logan had reacted when he'd found her in The Grove and the way he'd mentally checked out for the rest of the day, she expected something to happen. She didn't know what it would be, she just had a feeling that Logan wasn't going to let this lie.

'Let the games begin,' she thought as she rolled her eyes. She was amazed at how much energy he was wasting on her. She'd meant what she'd said to him when he'd confronted her in the previous week. She just wanted to live her life and thought he should do the same.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

firebirdgirl: ah, yes, but he sure deserves a can opened up on him, doesn't he? :-) Thanks for the review, I hope you continue to enjoy the way the story unfolds. I really feel like we haven't even gotten into it fully. Soon, though, soon.

Literati and naley forever: glad you're liking the story. Well, I attacked the breast implant issue in this chapter...in a round about way. What do you think? It's great hearing from you again!!

jessica729: Well, I hope you got a chance to read DL. What did you think? Was it worth the time and effort? I know it's a little on the lengthy side, me do likes to blab. Anyway, thanks for the review. I'm glad you're enjoying the fic and hope you continue to do so.

RogueAvril: Ah, you are getting my point of view exactly. I just love that Logan is on such shaky footing. I love that he's been thrust into a situation that he doesn't reign in and doesn't have his ever present cockiness. Now, not that it is dead. I loves me some Logan, after all, and I don't want to get too far out of character for him. We'll see more of our Logan begin to return once this settle for he and V a little. And, look at you. Are you reading my notes? Did you know what chapter 4 was going to say when you talked about him figuring out that he's already let go of some of that resentment. Ding ding ding ding! Give the girl a cookie, she's right on the mark! Anyway, thanks for the great review. I love to hear what everyone think, good or bad, reinforcing or new suggestions. It's also nice, though, to know that there are people out there who are reading the fic in the way that I'm seeing it when I write it. It makes me feel like I'm not completely off my rocker when I come up with some of this stuff!

GlitterFairyPrincess: Thank you, thank you, thank you. Yes, I too, love that Logan is a little lost right now. I love hearing that you enjoyed DL. It truly was a consuming passion of mine while I was writing it. I actually like to go back from time to time and read it again myself. When I was writing it, I went through every emotion with the reader. I cried, I laughed, my heart raced and my fingers flew as fast as they could across the keyboard during those heart-stopping moments. I really lived that story, so I love that it touched you. Anyway, thanks again!

iloveveronicamars: Thank you so much. You have no idea how much I love to hear that something I've done is original. There are so many fics out there and so many great ideas, that I strive to find some originality while staying within the confines of a story that I love. Thanks again. Keep on reading!

Jenn6891: Glad you like it. That confrontation was something I actually added in last minute. The original stopped well before it. Thanks! Good to hear from you!

Maiqu: Yeah, Logan has such an ability to smart off. I love that he is completely out of his comfort zone here. He will find himself again, it's just going to take a bit. Thanks so much!

RaeRaeRaeLiz: I'm so glad you are enjoying it. LoVe won't get together real quick in this fic, but they will obviously have a ton of interaction, especially after this chapter.

XXspuffster101XX: AHHHHH! I just love your reviews. They are so thoughtful and comprehensive. I'm glad you liked the Cami thing. I did like the confrontation, it was a last minute add-in. The original didn't have it. Remember that both Logan and V are very stubborn people, so even as they begin to realize how much they might still care about the other, they won't be ready to admit it too soon. Yes, thank you for correcting me. I will try to fix the boyfriend's girlfriend thing. Well, you know that they are just so incestuous in that group, you never know who's going to be dating whom. Ha ha. Anyway, I do appreciate that correction. Thanks so much for the well wishes. I'm still trying to kick the cold, but I'm feeling a little better at least.

Mallikad: I'm glad you liked the confrontation. It wasn't in my original draft and was added last minute. Well, they still have a long road to travel before they are truly ready to get together, so hopefully by the time they are there, I will have lead them down that path smoothly. Thanks again for your encouragement. I love the fact that I inspired you to write and that I am now able to enjoy reading your work. It's really a win-win situation for me.

V.Epic-LoVe.M: Well, I'm reading your Pan High and I've been liking it. The last twist is interesting. I love it and can't wait to see Logan's attempt to win her over! Keep it up. I'm glad you're enjoying PHR, though. Keep reading. Let's see who's LoVe gets together first. My bet...yours will. :-)

Macala Armstrong: Wow! What a glowing review. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Welcome! I don't know about a rock star, but wow! I'm so happy you're enjoying the story. People have really responded to their confrontation. It's great because it was a last minute add-in. Worked out well, I guess.

SoDa.PoP9.: Ah, now I could've posted two chapters, but what fun would that be? You might have started to think of me as a kind and compassionate person and we can't have that, now can we? :-) I'm glad you loved the update and I hope this one was worth another week's wait. Thanks!

vmarslovahhh18: Thank you, thank you. I hadn't initially planned on them having this much interaction yet, but I kind of like her putting him in his place.

jotajota15: Yes! You were the only one to nail it. I'm glad you liked the interaction. It wasn't in my initial plan, but I liked it too. Thanks!

Frost Merry Darkness Luver: I actually had not gotten the reference, but now I'm with you. Thanks again for the great review. I'm glad I didn't lose too many people in the long delay. I loved VM and I just like to play with and improve on (at least in my mind) on what RT already gave us. Plus, there is that eternal question of what if things had happened differently at or after Shelley's party? There are fics out there where Logan was the one that actually slept with her or where he runs into the morning after or he finds out what happened to her and tries to right the wrongs, etc. This is just another what if?

SoManyObsessions: You know, I truly appreciate the reviews I get. It takes me a good hour to respond, but I think it's worth it. It's the only way I have to show how grateful I am that people are not only taking time out of their busy lives to read something that a 'nobody' like me has written, but to also write a review. I don't know, just how I feel. Thanks again! Hope you liked this chappie!

christykq: hmmmm...well, I'm glad you reviewed. I hadn't meant to have V come off that way, but I had intended to leave her as a little bit of a mystery that Logan and the reader had to unfold. I really just wanted her to have a zen (bad description, probably) attitude about all things high school because of everything she's gone through outside of the realm of high school. Does that make sense? The problem with the interactions between her and her friends is that I've really been too focused on Logan to be concerned with V. Hee hee hee. Hey! I can't help it...he is Logan! Anyway, I will keep your comments in mind as I get a little further into the story and open her up more. One of my fears going into this and trying to bring in the characters that readers love so much is that I just don't have a focus for them. Like I said when I was posting DL, to me, the story is all about LoVe. Any appearance by other characters is just to advance the LoVe. I'm trying in PHR to give a little more to the supporting cast. It won't be perfect, but thanks for the feedback. I'll try to work on it a bit. Oh, an as for my long responses to the reviews, what can I say? I'm a talker! Hee hee hee. Oh, and yeah, I'm hoping snarky Logan will appear. He's just got to get through the reality warp he's going through. When he and V form some sort of a friendship, I think we'll see him more. Right now, he's just not on solid footing.

LilLadyMe: Thank you, thank you, thank you. So? Was her situation what you expected? And, Logan's reaction to it? We'll have to see if someone saw or heard them. Honestly, I hadn't considered it, but since you brought it up, I have an idea. We'll see if it develops!

enchantedlight: Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

xosummerxo: I'm glad you like the explanation for Cami. I wasn't sure how that would go over with everyone. It made sense to me, but just because something makes sense to me, doesn't make it logical. Hahaha

LostnStarsHollow: Thank you for your well wishes. I appreciate them. I have to agree with you about LoVe's past. For being as vengeful as she was, Veronica sure accepted Logan back pretty quickly. I don't think things will be as easy for him here as they were in canon...but let's see how the writing works, shall we? I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. I think pieces of what her friends know about her past will be revealed, but I don't think they will know a lot, actually. I don't see her wanting to drag all of the turmoil from Neptune into her new start at Pan High. That doesn't mean that she might not have had any heart-to-hearts, but no one questioned Logan about going to school with her. We'll see.

SPEEDIE22: So glad you loved it. Hopefully there won't be any major disasters keeping me from updating like the last couple of weeks. I don't think I've heard from you before, so nice to meet ya. Hope to hear from you again.

kylie144: Well, you know how much I love to hand out all of the answers when my reviewers ask for them, right? Hahaha. Well, I kind of did. You asked and I gave you answers in the form of Chapter 4. See how nice I am? Insert evil laugh here!

pennylanex3: ok, so all I can say is that I really agree with you on so many points. I think that as time goes on and things begin to change between Logan and Veronica, they will both realize that they had a true friendship before Lilly died. I also agree that Logan doesn't deserve to be let off so easily. Let's admit it, shall we? He was a major jerk to her. I'm glad you like the Ritchie/Mac idea. I'm not sure how well I'll write them, since they aren't really my focus and I don't feel them the same way I do LoVe, but I'll try my best. Thanks so much for the great compliment and review. I appreciate it.

LoVeElle: Thanks for the personal wishes. I appreciate it. I'm feeling a little better, but not as great as I'd like. This thing is just hanging on. Every morning I wake up with a sore throat, I'm still stuffed up a bit and I have absolutely no energy. Anyway, I cannot agree about Hannah any more. The first time S2 epi's with Hannah ran, she didn't bother me that much. It actually shocked me how internally violent my reaction was when I was watching my dvd set the first time. I just kept getting more and more agitated and by the end just wanted to kill her. I'm glad you liked the Cami explanation, I wasn't sure how it would be received. Well, definitely expect to see some other cast appearances. We're not done yet. Ah, and finally some answers to the question of whether V was pregnant. Thanks for the great review. Hope you like how this is developing.

oceankar330: ok, yes the pregnancy question has been answered in this chapter. What did you think? Oh, goodness. Believe me when I say that I didn't get her nickname from anywhere. I actually thought I was coming up with something original. Apparently what King Solomon says is true, there really is nothing new under the sun! Anyway, thanks for the great feedback. Now, you know that it scares me when people say how much they loved DL. I'm so nervous that this fic will fall on its face and not compare to it. DL just got such great reviews that it's hard to follow that up, you know? I will try my best to give you some twists and turns in this fic, too.

Beccakell13: See, I agree with you. Yes, these people are her friends, even close friends, but I just don't see her wanting to take all of that baggage into a new start and a new life by telling everyone about what she went through. I think, too, that since her best friend is a guy, that helps. Because guys don't usually open up the way girls do, V and he don't over share like most girlfriends do. I'm glad that you liked the confrontation. It was actually something I threw in at the end. Up through chapter 10 has been written for months now, but before I post, I'm cleaning them up and adding, if needed. That confrontation wasn't in the initial chapter. I knew something was missing and that's what it was. Thanks, again!


	5. Chapter 5

Pan High Rules

Chapter 5

A/N2: Okay, guys. This is a pretty big update. I ended up merging what I had for chapters 5 and 6. Hope you enjoy it!

A/N2:You know, there are a lot of strong feelings about who the father is. I won't be able to please everyone, but I hope that the writing will make up for any disappointments.

LLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEE

Walking up to the Kane house that afternoon, Logan felt a sense of doom pass over him. It was like the feeling he got when he went home, knowing his father would be waiting to punish him for some stupid stunt he'd pulled. He had no idea of where the feeling was coming from. It's not as if he expected Duncan to beat him like his father would. Even if he did, Logan could defend himself against his best friend; whereas, that had never been an option with Aaron.

The one time he tried to defend himself, he learned his lesson in the form of a bruised and battered Lynn. Aaron had become so enraged by Logan's defensive actions that he severely increased the intensity of the beating. Just before he blacked out, he heard his mother coming to his defense, yelling for Aaron to stop. When he woke up, he was alone in his room. He immediately got a bad feeling, knowing something was terribly wrong. His mom always stayed with him after one of his dad's punishments. She'd stay and talk to him and bandage any wounds that might need attention. When he was able to pull himself from his bed and make his way to his mother's room, he was shocked to find her lying in her bed bruised and bleeding. The gravity of his mistake hit him like a sledge hammer.

Logan shook his head in an effort to clear his mind of nightmares passed. Telling Duncan about Baby Keith wasn't the same. Duncan was level-headed, whereas Aaron was hot-tempered. Although Duncan would be shaken by the news, if he didn't already know about it, he would never "shoot the messenger." With Aaron and bad news, you didn't want to be in the same vicinity as the messenger. Logan had never feared his best friend, whereas with his father...well, Logan had never feared his best friend. We'll just leave it at that.

"Then why do I feel like I'm just about to take a stroll in front of the firing squad?" Logan muttered to himself as he rang the doorbell.

Jenny, the Kane maid, who Celeste insisted on calling Jennifer because Jenny sounded 'low class', answered the door. She met Logan with a warm smile and a glint in her eye. Although she'd never admit to it, she adored Logan and the chaos he brought into Mrs. Kane's perfect life. Being kind to the young Mr. Echolls was Jenny's way of silently rebelling. She secretly took joy every time Celeste would turn up her nose or cringe at Logan's actions.

Logan was led into the game room where Duncan was already playing video games.

"Mr. Echolls to see you, Sir." Logan had long ago given up on correcting her. He knew that Jenny didn't want to upset the Kanes by calling him Logan.

"Hey Man! I didn't know what game you'd want so I just popped in GTA," Duncan called back to him. (A/N: Forgive me, for I am a Gamer not! I just picked a game.)

"Yeah, no, uh, that's fine. I didn't really come for the games anyway. I sort of wanted to talk to you about something. Duncan, paused the game. He could tell just by the tone of Logan's voice that something was bothering him. When he turned to face Logan, he could see the boy's pale face and glazed over eyes.

"What's going on?" Logan could hear the concern in his friend's voice and wished that he could put him at ease. For the briefest moment, Logan considered not telling Duncan. He could always tell him later, after he'd had a chance to really get a grip on it himself. In the end, Logan knew that he needed help from his level-headed buddy. He also felt that not telling Duncan that his ex-girlfriend was a mother would have been keeping a secret from his best friend. He felt that Duncan should know.

"Well, I wanted to know what you knew about Veronica," Logan rolled his eyes at himself. He just couldn't be smooth about it, could he?

"Veronica?" Duncan was looking at him like he was crazy. "What are you talking about? I haven't seen her since she moved. Why? What made you think of her after all this time?"

"Well, actually..." Logan hesitated. He hadn't told Duncan that he was going to school with her or that they hung out in the same crowd together. He was so unsure of his footing at Pan High and with her and hadn't decided how he felt about the whole situation. He was just too uneasy with his role and that wasn't something he was used to. With the new twist, though, he had to get a second opinion.

"She goes to Pan High. I actually see her quite a bit," he finished lamely, knowing the barrage of questions that would be coming.

"And, you're just now telling me this?" Duncan was floored by the revelation and it was written all over his face. "I thought she'd left town."

"Well, she didn't start school right away. She was absent for a while and I didn't even know until the second week of school. By then, I'd already gotten to know and been eating lunch with her close friends. Imagine my surprise when she popped up as their favorite person." Logan chuckled, remembering how shocked he'd been. Man, he could have sworn that it was some hidden camera show, but so far no cameras had been revealed.

Duncan's eyes were huge as he listened to Logan. He was shocked that Veronica was just down the road a bit and dumbfounded as to why Logan had kept this information from him.

Logan could see the shock in Duncan's eyes. "Yeah, that's not even the best part," he added sarcastically.

"I kind of ran into her today in a deserted area of the school and guess what I saw?" He waited for Duncan's reply which never came. He could almost see the other boy holding his breath waiting for any tidbit of information on his ex-girlfriend.

When Logan was sure that Duncan was not going to speak up and actually take a guess at what Logan had seen, he continued. "She was breast feeding her son."

Once the words were out there, they just hung in the air. Nothing was said as he watched his friend's face for any signs of what he was thinking. It'd been a long time since Duncan had shown much emotion, but Logan knew that if anything would wipe the normally expressionless, look off of Duncan's face, it would be this news. Duncan did react and it pleased Logan to know that his friend wasn't completely unreachable. Logan saw what he expected at first. His best friend was the perfect imitation of a guppy fish. His eyes were huge and hung open as he took in deep breaths. The boy was in shock from the news. At least that really answered his question as to whether Duncan had known Veronica was pregnant.

What did surprise Logan, though, was the change that came next. He watched as the alarm was replaced by a look of sheer terror, then a hint of anger. Was it jealousy that Logan was seeing? He had always suspected that his best friend wasn't really over Veronica. He noticed that his friend always seemed to know where she was and kept his eyes on her when he thought no one was watching. Logan had decided long ago that he would never find out why Duncan had broken up with her. He knew Duncan had adored her one day and ignored her the next. He knew that Duncan still had feelings for her. He'd even tried to ask his friend on numerous occasions. Finally, he decided that he'd never get the information he was looking for and he let the subject drop. That was until now. Veronica's pregnancy opened up a whole host of questions and opportunities to get those questions answered. Logan was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of Duncan's voice.

"How old is the baby?" His voice was quiet and shaky and he didn't dare look Logan in the face.

"He was born in August." Logan didn't know how much information to give his friend. He knew from experience that this could be overwhelming. He watched as Duncan was deep in thought for a moment.

Still not looking at his friend, Duncan quietly questioned him again. "That means she got pregnant in November?" Logan recognized the confusion in the other boy's tone. If there was one thing throughout this whole crazy situation that Logan understood, it was confusion.

It was partially a question, partially a resigned statement. Duncan didn't know how to feel about that. The girl he'd known for years and had dated seriously for almost two years had been a virgin when they broke up in late September, just after Homecoming. He knew that she'd still been mourning him up until Lilly died, when she had bigger things to mourn than just the loss of her boyfriend. All he could think was, 'how could she?'

"Actually, December. Apparently the baby was born prematurely. He should have been born at the END of August." At Logan's statement, Duncan's head shot up. For the first time since Logan had told Duncan the news, they were looking eye to eye. The look of terror had returned to Duncan's eyes and his entire body had gone rigid.

"I-is th-the baby o-k?" Duncan was stuttering and his hand shook slightly as he wiped the instant perspiration from his brow.

"Well, I guess he had some issues in the beginning. He had to stay in the hospital for a while, but he's home now." Then, Logan tried to lighten the mood.

"Apparently he's doing a good job at keeping Ronnie awake and on her toes. No sleep for the wicked." The last comment just slipped out of Logan's mouth. He hadn't meant anything by it. It had been so long since he had actually insulted Veronica and it felt odd to hear the words escape his own mouth. He knew that it was just a saying and he hadn't really meant anything spiteful by it, but it still took him off guard.

Duncan hadn't seemed to notice the comment...or the fact that Logan had tried to lighten the situation at all. In fact, the boy stood stock still for about thirty seconds before he took off in a dead sprint out of the house.

"Where you going?" Logan yelled as he chased after him.

"I've got to see them...make sure the baby is alright." Duncan was jumping into his SUV and Logan quickly got into the passenger seat.

"What are you doing?" Duncan asked Logan as he started the car and put it into gear. He might not understand why Logan was getting into his car when he had his own, but that wasn't going to delay him.

"I'm going with you." At the surprise that crossed Duncan's features, Logan thought that his friend was going to make him get out. So he added, "you don't even know where she lives now. I'll have to show you."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot she moved." Duncan was silent for most of the ride, only responding to Logan's directions.

"A boy?" Duncan said out of the middle of no where. His voice was scratchy and barely audible.

"Huh?" Logan had gotten so used to the silence from his buddy that Duncan's question had confused him. "A boy?"

"You said that it was a boy. That Veronica has a son?" Logan could have sworn he heard awe in his Duncan's tone.

"Yeah. She named him Keith after her father. They call him Baby Keith to avoid confusion. I guess that'll work until the kid hits puberty and finally rebels against it." Logan chuckled, again trying to infuse some levity into the situation. Once again, it fell flat. Duncan barely responded.

When Logan had finally directed Duncan to a stop in front of an older, run-down apartment complex, they just sat and stared for a moment. Duncan was taking in the sight with a look of disgust while Logan just waited for his friend's next move.

When Duncan finally moved from the car, Logan silently followed him. He was frustrated and a little nervous that he was having such a difficult time reading Duncan's emotions. He knew Duncan would be shocked, angry and a little hurt. After all, the boy had been in love with Veronica and had dreamt of having his own little puppies with her one day. To find out that she had moved on from him so quickly and had a baby had to be tough.

Logan had seen those emotions from Duncan, but it was an emotion that lay underneath and unreadable by Logan that made him nervous. It was so intense and undefinable that he wasn't sure who he should be more concerned for, Duncan, Veronica or himself.

When Duncan knocked on the door of the Mars' apartment, Logan stood to the side. He was dreading the look on Veronica's face when she realized that he had not only run over and told Duncan about the baby, but had then led him to her apartment.

Veronica's dad was out of town chasing a bail jumper, leaving Veronica to her own schedule. She had a perfect night planned. She would nurse Baby Keith while she ate an early dinner. Then, with the baby's hunger satisfied and lulled to sleep, she would head straight to bed with him. The dishes could wait, homework could wait...even brushing her teeth could take a backseat this one time so she could get some sleep. She'd been so exhausted. She was lucky to get six hours of sleep a night and even that wasn't a straight six hours. In her estimation, if she got to sleep after she ate, then she would actually end up with about nine hours of sleep off and on. Getting a long stretch of sleep was a luxury she'd rarely gotten since Baby Keith had been born.

Veronica had just started dinner when she heard the knock. Although, she had considered ignoring it, she knew that between cooking, the baby and the tv, no one would believe that the apartment was empty. Rolling her eyes, she finished stirring the noodles on the stove and strode over to the door. Her plan was to quickly boot the intruder out, determined that no one would disturb her night.

Logan watched helplessly as the apartment door swung open. The determined look on Veronica's face fell and she paled when she recognized her uninvited guest.

"D-Duncan?" Veronica choked over the name. 'What is he doing here? How did he even know where I live? Has something bad happened? The only reason he would track me down was if something bad --'

Veronica's thoughts came to a screeching halt when she saw someone cowering out of the corner of her eye.

"Logan," she breathed out as she shook her head. In that moment, it stopped being about Duncan. No, nothing bad had happened, and he hadn't tracked her down because he'd wanted to see her. This was because Logan ran off to spread the word. Some things never change.

"Wow, I figured you'd probably go off and tell your friends about me, but I didn't think you'd make a special trip and escort them to my house to ridicule me." Veronica was surprised when she looked into Logan's eyes and saw how uncomfortable he was. He opened his mouth to defend himself, but didn't get the chance when Duncan suddenly stepped over the threshold and into Veronica's personal space, shouting non-stop questions at her. His movements were fast and the air of frustration and rage rolled off of him in waves. Veronica stepped back, startled by the outburst.

"Don't even start in on Logan, Veronica! Where is he? Why didn't you tell me about him?" Feeling the need to intervene, Logan straightened up and moved away from the wall he'd been leaning against. The emotion Duncan showed at the Kane Mansion had comforted Logan, given him a glimmer of his old friend. This, however, was disturbing.

The last time he'd seen as much anger from his friend was a year earlier. He had been at the Kane's house and heard screaming coming from another room. Afraid that someone had broken in, he rushed toward the screaming. What he found there amazed him. Duncan was on top of his father, with his hands wrapped tightly around Jake's neck. Logan helped remove Duncan, only to have him go completely limp. Jake sent Logan home as he assisted Duncan back to his room. The following day, Logan had tried to ask Duncan about it, but Duncan claimed he didn't know what Logan was talking about. Logan never got answers for that day, but it disturbed him.

"Duncan, Man, settle down." Logan put his hand on Duncan's chest and tried to calm his friend down.

"How dare you run away and not tell me that you were pregnant?" Duncan continued, ignoring Logan's presence. He wasn't giving Veronica a chance for her mind to catch up with what he was saying, let alone actually answer his questions.

Veronica and Logan looked at each other, searching for answers. They wore matching looks of shock. In that instant, they knew they weren't alone in their confusion and unease. Finally finding her voice, Veronica spoke up.

"What does it matter to you? We were broken up. We hadn't even spoken in over three months." Anger had taken over shock and she was ready for a battle. Who did he think he was? He'd dropped her without a word and now he was coming to her with accusations and harsh words?

"What does it matter to me? You thought that just because we were broken up, I wouldn't want to know?" Then, as if he'd just remembered something, Duncan switched gears completely.

"Logan told me that there were problems with the baby, he was in the hospital. Is he okay? Are there any birth defects? I need to see him right now, Veronica." He began to move further into the apartment, but Veronica quickly stepped in his path and Logan tightened the hold he had on Duncan's chest.

"What are you talking about, Duncan?!" She had finally lost it. He wasn't making any sense and hadn't slowed down enough to even explain himself.

"I. Want. To. See. My. Son! Is that clear enough for you?" Duncan had raised his voice again.

'Holy Crap!' Logan thought. 'Keith is Duncan's! No wonder he's so upset. How could she not have told him?'

Watching the expression on Veronica's face change as the words began to sink in, Logan could only describe it as perplexed. How could she be so confused? If they slept together and she ended up being pregnant, then why wouldn't she know that the baby was Duncan's?

"Duncan, he's not your son. What are you talking about? We broke up months before I got pregnant and we've never even had sex!" She was sure he had lost it. He had changed after they broke up and after Lilly's death, he was a shell of his former self. This behavior, though, was right up there with the best of delusional episodes.

"What are you talking about? You're trying to deny what happened at Shelly's?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Veronica doubled over. She braced her hands on her knees as she tried to control her breathing. Her mind was spinning as she tried to understand the implications of Duncan's claims. Logan automatically lurched toward her and wrapped his arm around her back. The fact that he still didn't fully understand what was happening was overshadowed by the intense need to comfort her.

"You? You were the one that raped me?" She barely managed to get out as she looked up at him from her hunched over position. She didn't notice Logan's reaction as she searched for the truth in Duncan's eyes.

Logan's head snapped up toward his friend. His eyes were huge and boring a hole into Duncan as he awaited his best friend's response.

"Raped you? I didn't rape you. You were there, too, you know." He could see the confusion in her eyes and knew that she wasn't lying. "You don't remember."

"No, someone drugged my drink." She spat as she tried to control the tears that were threatening to fall.

She covered her mouth as she listened to Duncan recount the events of that fateful night almost a year earlier. When he was done, she still wasn't sure she believed him. One question was burned into her brain. Before she could ask it, though, her son began to cry from his spot in the bassinet. The last thing that Veronica wanted to do was to bring Duncan's attention to the baby, but she had to pick him up and comfort him.

When she saw Duncan move toward the baby, she quickly moved away and glared at him. "No way, Duncan. Don't even think about it." Once again, Logan felt the need to intervene and stepped between the two, shielding Veronica from Duncan.

"If it was so loving, then why did you leave me? Why did I wake up in the morning sore and searching for my underwear?" Veronica accused him, as she continued to try to calm Baby Keith.

"I had to leave. I knew that what I did was wrong."

"Why? It was consensual, wasn't it?" At his nod, she continued with a tremble in her voice and tears in her eyes. "Then what was so wrong about it that you had to leave me there, alone?"

"BECAUSE YOU'RE MY SISTER. MY MOM TOLD ME. I KNEW IT AND I STILL SLEPT WITH YOU. I LOVED YOU SO MUCH. I TRIED TO STOP, BUT I COULDN'T." He yelled at her, but then finished quieter, "I couldn't. It just won't go away."

Logan watched as the terror spread across Veronica's face and her breathing got faster and more shallow. Her eyes danced wildly around the room as she tried to grasp what he was saying. Before he realized what was happening, she had started to hyperventilate. He moved toward her and just reached her in time to receive the baby that she was putting into his arms as she covered her mouth with her hands.

Veronica made it as far as the kitchen sink before she was emptying the contents of her stomach. She was coughing, choking, crying and vomiting all at once. She couldn't control her actions as she tried to process everything he'd said. Flashes of memories of her and Duncan when they were a couple were flying through her head. They held hands, they kissed, they had touched each other and dreamt of their future family together. This was not what she'd had in mind back then.

"What the hell, Man?" Logan was sickened by his best friend's confession. He just shook his head at Duncan as the boy collapsed in tears against the wall of the Mars' living room.

Seeing that he was no longer a threat, Logan headed into the kitchen to comfort Veronica. The noodles she'd been cooking had started to boil over so he turned off the stove on his way to her. He knew that she wouldn't be eating any time in the near future.

Veronica had finally stood up from the sink and was rinsing out her mouth with trembling hands. A sheen of sweat and tears covered her now ashen face. She turned around and stood in a daze, studying her ex-boyfriend, her possible half-brother as he sat crying on the floor. His head snapped up suddenly when Baby Keith's cries became more incessant. Seeing him scramble to his feet in an effort to reach the baby once again, Veronica snapped out of her daze and rushed to stand between Duncan and Logan.

"He's mine, Veronica! I have a right to see him. I have a right to hold him!" He was yelling again and the baby began crying even harder, responding to the tension of the situation. Veronica looked around the room for a solution. Her eyes landed on Logan's for a moment, searching for the ability to trust him with the most important thing in her life, her son. Seeing that he, too, had taken a protective stance against his best friend and had turned so that Baby Keith was blocked by his own body, she knew that she could.

"Logan, could you take Baby Keith into my room, please? Duncan and I need to talk and he doesn't need to be here during this." Logan began to protest. He didn't want to leave them alone, but she cut him off with her instructions for him.

"I was planning on nursing him, but you can just take a bottle out of the refrigerator. There is a bottle warmer in my room that you can use to heat it up. There's a little cup of water by the bed. Dump it in the hole, stick the bottle in and press the button. The light will go off when it's ready." She was already turning away from him to continue her conversation with Duncan.

Logan did as she asked, although he decided that he'd leave her bedroom door cracked a bit in case she needed him. With the way Duncan was acting, he wasn't really comfortable leaving them alone. He understood Veronica's need to protect her child, though. There was so much Logan had seen growing up that he wished he hadn't. He was glad that Veronica was trying to protect Baby Keith from those things, even if he was too young to really know what was going on around him.

Logan entered Veronica's room and put the bottle in the bottle warmer. The baby was still crying so Logan tried rocking him back and forth, like he'd watched Veronica do after she'd gotten him out of the bassinet.

Veronica and Duncan's conversation was still clear to him as they had not lowered their voices. He listened as they verbally struggled through the situation.

"Why won't you just let me hold him? He's my baby."

"We don't know that!"

"I do!"

"Well, I don't!"

"Look," Duncan said, trying to gain control of the situation. "We need to make sure that he's okay...you know, genetically. There are so many problems that can come out of, of, of i-incest."

Veronica, Duncan and Logan all cringed at the verbalization of the act that had produced Baby Keith. Veronica had thought that she needed to protect her son from people knowing that he was borne of a rape. Imagine if they knew he'd been a product of incest. She could feel the bile rising in her throat again, but fought it back.

"There's just no way this can be happening." Veronica wasn't speaking of facts at this point. She felt lost again, like she had after Duncan had dumped her, like she had after Lilly was murdered, like she had the morning she woke up searching for her underwear and like she had the day the pregnancy test had come back positive. "How is this happening?"

Duncan's voice dropped down to a quiet murmer and Logan walked over to the bedroom door to make sure that everything was alright. He heard his friend apologizing to Veronica. He was apologizing for everything that had happened. He begged for her forgiveness for breaking up with her the way he did, stating that he just didn't know how he could tell her the truth. He was just trying to protect her.

A shiver ran up Logan's spine as he listened to his friend speak of the tenderness they'd shared the night of Shelly's party and what a dream it had been. Duncan's remorse the following morning, after the fact, didn't make Logan feel any better and he doubted it was helping Veronica. He couldn't imagine the kind of emotional trauma she was going through. At that moment, thinking of everything she had gone through and was now going through, he couldn't even think about the fact that he hated her. He only wanted to protect and comfort her.

They talked about everything. Veronica had asked about the possibility of Jake Kane being her father. She'd learned that he and her mom had been having an affair off and on since high school. Duncan informed her that he thought they felt like they were each other's soul mates. They couldn't give each other up even after they'd built lives and families with other people.

Duncan wasn't sure if Keith knew that Veronica wasn't his. Celeste is the one who had informed Duncan and she didn't elaborate too much. Veronica didn't know if she hoped her father knew or not. If he did, it meant that he allowed her to date her possible half-brother. The thought angered her and she was riddled with feelings of betrayal.

Unfortunately, there was the other possibility. What if her father didn't know? How could she tell him? How would she go about breaking her father's heart and spirit even more than it had already been? How do you tell someone you love so much something you know will bring them an immense amount of pain?

Yeah, she had no idea what would be better, his betrayal of her or her pain-inducing news to him. She decided that she couldn't dwell on that just yet. There were too many things to deal with before they ever crossed that bridge. Her true desire was that they wouldn't ever have to cross it.

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Knowing that the couple in the living room had calmed, Logan moved to sit on the bed while he fed the baby. The crying baby had begun to settle, but he hadn't calmed enough to take the bottle yet. Logan propped himself up with Veronica's pillows and just started speaking softly to the baby. He had no experience with babies and had been nervous just holding him, but he knew he didn't have a choice. He would try anything to help calm the child.

"Hey, little man. It's gonna be okay. I promise. I won't let anything happen to you or your mommy, okay?" Logan was holding Baby Keith firmly to him and speaking in a low, calming voice. The baby responded almost immediately. His crying softened and soon he was snuggling into Logan's embrace.

Logan fed him the bottle, stopping to burp him. The young man was actually surprised when it worked, but disgusted at the little bit of spit up that soon colored his shirt. He chuckled to himself a little. Who would have ever imagined that this is how Logan Echoll's senior year of high school would end up? The idea that he would be comforting and snuggling with Veronica's baby was a plot straight out of a Twilight Zone episode. Still, he couldn't believe how natural it felt after awhile.

Once he'd gotten used to it and realized that the baby tucked softly into his arms wasn't going to break, he couldn't help but enjoy it. If he weren't a teenaged bad boy, Logan would have to admit that there was something truly special about protecting and caring for that little baby.

Logan lay on the bed with him and watched as the baby's eyes began to get heavier and flutter closed. He was amazed at how tired he got just watching the baby fall to sleep. Soon enough, Logan could no longer fight the pull and had fallen asleep while snuggling Baby Keith protectively next to his chest.

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Meanwhile, the conversation in the living room began to heat up again. "Veronica, we slept together. He's mine!"

"Prove it!

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you need to get a DNA test," Veronica spat back. She knew that Duncan wouldn't lie about being with her at Shelly's. Not only did she know him well, or at least she thought she did before he'd broken up with her, but no one in their right mind would claim to have committed incest with their sister unless it was true. Veronica just wanted to buy as much time as possible. She had gone from believing that she'd been raped by Baby Keith's father to the knowledge that his father was actually her first love and possibly her brother. More importantly that Duncan was standing in front of her, wanting to see his son.

Veronica had no doubt that with everything he'd told her, Duncan would want to spend more time with Baby Keith. This wasn't a one-time visit. Veronica was faced with the possibility of having to share her son with someone else; someone who Veronica no longer trusted to do the right thing or make the right choices.

"Are you kidding? A DNA test? We both know that you didn't sleep around, Veronica. You're just stalling." Duncan didn't feel like she was being reasonable. 'What's the big deal? Why won't she just let me look at him? Hold him?'

"Maybe, Duncan. Maybe I am stalling. It still doesn't change the fact that everything you've said today has been news to me. I'm not just one to accept this because you say it. That's not who I am anymore.

I want DNA tests on all of us. I want proof that you actually are my, my...that Jake is my father and I want proof that you are my son's father." She was standing firm and refused to take no for an answer.

"Fine. I'll just make a call and get us into the hospital as soon as possible," he said as he was pulling his cell phone out.

"Are you crazy?" Veronica looked at him like he had two heads. "And what happens if you're right, Duncan? We become the new freak show? Do you have any idea of what that will do to us and our families? More importantly, what about the baby?" Veronica refused to refer to him as Duncan's son.

"You're right," Duncan slumped down on the couch. "Look, we've got to get this done. I've got to know and I want to be able to see him as soon as possible."

"Absolutely." Veronica knew she was lying. She was going to drag this out as long as possible. She'd do anything to delay sharing her son with Duncan. Ex-boyfriend or brother, it didn't matter. She didn't want him back in her life and certainly didn't want him in her son's life.

"The most important thing is to find out if we're related." She was going to continue, but was cut off by Duncan.

"Wait. Why is that most important?"

"Because, Duncan. We need to find out what kind of relationship we have so we know how to proceed with the baby. If you are right, then we'll need to be extra careful about information regarding Baby Keith.

The fact is, we don't know who all knows that you could be my brother. Jake, my mom, Celeste, my dad, you, me, Logan? Really, that's too many people when it comes to a secret of this magnitude. How long before it leaks out?

If it is true, then we'll know to be careful when we do the DNA test for you and Baby Keith. We will also know how we should proceed after that. Just because people don't know about my mom and your dad now, doesn't mean that it won't come out in 5 or 10 years. If you spend that time publically acknowledging him as your son, then there will be no way for us to protect him from the pain of discovery. Do you want him to go through that?"

"No. Of course not, but do you expect me to just ignore him? I can't do that." Duncan had risen to his feet and Veronica could tell that he was becoming agitated again. She knew she needed to end the conversation and get him out of the apartment before things got out of hand again.

"No, Duncan. I don't expect you to ignore him. Look, this is a lot to deal with. Let's just take it one step at a time, okay? I'll get a kit together for us to do a paternity test by mail. That way, our identities won't be revealed." She walked toward the door and was relieved to see that he was willingly following her.

"I'll call you when I have it, okay? We'll do everything, nice and discreet." She was willing to say anything to placate him.

"Sounds good," he said as he opened the door to leave.

"Oh, and Veronica. I really am sorry about everything." With that, Duncan was gone and Veronica was finally able to breathe again.

She shut the door and then leaned her back against it. She sighed heavily, her head hanging. When she finally straightened, she was looking straight down the hall at the door to her bedroom. She saw that it was cracked and wondered just how much of the conversation Logan had heard.

Veronica's strongest desire was to rush into the room so that she could hold tightly to her child. On the other hand, she dreaded the idea of walking into the room and facing Logan Echolls with all of his newly acquired knowledge.

She'd not been afraid of him when he started Pan High because she knew that there was nothing he could do to hurt her anymore. What high school drama he did drum up wouldn't affect her. Her main focus had been her son. Only now, Logan did have the information to destroy the cocoon she'd tried to create for Baby Keith. Logan had the power to truly destroy her life by spreading this news that could be life-shattering for her son.

Logan had surprised her to this point, not relying on his old ways of vicious verbal attacks and spreading rumors. Maybe he would continue to surprise her.

'Well, only one way to find out, girly-girl. It's time to face the music,' she thought to herself as she propelled herself toward her bedroom. She grabbed the bassinet on her way in so that she could put the baby down for bed.

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jessica729: I was hoping that there would be some mystery in referring to the baby as Keith. I'm glad you were surprised. And, I'm glad you're enjoying DL. Chapter 9, still a ways to go. Hope you continue to enjoy it and all of it's twists.

kylie144: Evil, I am. Well, since you asked so nicely, I'll tell you who the father is. It is . See, ask and ye shall receive. :-)

Vmfan387: So, glad you are enjoying this twist and I'm glad it was a bit of a surprise for you. I'm also glad you saw the humor in their collision. Thanks!

.SoDa.PoP9: Thank you so much for your "very long review" as you put it. Yeah, although you know nothing good can come from Logan running to Duncan, what really do we expect him to do. This situation is just too huge for him to wrap his head around. He needed back up. And, the result was...

RogueAvril: Ok, so I only gave you one chapter, but this one was definitely a long one. I'm so glad that you were surprised. Not everyone was, but I'm glad that you were able to enjoy the ride of mystery for the entire time. Yeah, if I were V, I probably wouldn't be overly happy that Logan ran to Duncan, although also not real surprised. And, since you asked so nicely, I'll tell you. The father is . I'm being completely honest with you.

SnarkQueen: I'm so glad you are still loving the fic. There are still a couple of twists and turns up my sleeve so hold on for the ride. I'm glad that I was able to surprise you with the pregnancy and that you are invested enough to be thinking about the possibilities. Thanks so much!

LoVefan4ever: okay, I understand where you are coming from about a LoVe child. I will say this...IF the baby is not Logan's, then I would hope that I wrote the fic well enough to make up for that. We'll see! And, yeah, V with a boob job? I think not! Hang in there with me and let's see where this takes us. Oh, hey...and you got two chapters for the price of one last time, this time an extra long chapter. See, things are going well for you. :-)

Maiqu: Glad I could catch you off guard. Hope you enjoyed the twist.

Harri-bean: GREAT! Great that you were surprised and great that you are enjoying the story. I love that I was able to make you laugh with this. Many times, when I'm writing and I think something is humorous, I never know if anyone else will. Thanks!

vmarslovahhh18: I'm glad I could throw you off of the pregnancy scent! Glad you are liking it. Love hearing from you!

enchantedlight: just reading your name makes me want to sing...Some enchanted evening...Anyway, thanks for the review. I'm glad you are still with me and still enjoying the fic.

Beccakell13: Well, I have to tell you. I thought it was really important to get across this new outlook of Veronica's. Yes, she is a teen, but she's also a mommy. I'm a mom and can say from experience that no matter what you think is important, it all gets turned upside down when you have a child. You even watch movies in a different light. Some of the things that were good enough for you growing up aren't good enough for your child...because you want everything to be better, purer, easier, more wonderful for your child. Sorry, got off track there. Anyway, you are right about Logan. Yes, he asked about the father, but didn't push too much. He is in a precarious situation with Veronica and doesn't have the leverage that he would need to push that topic. As for LoVe. Hmmm...okay, I'm going to give it to you straight. Technical LoVe will be awhile in coming. There is a lot of work these two have to do before they can go there. Having said that, look out for the next chapter, you might get a present. After that, I'm hoping that the interaction between L/V that I do give you will satisfy. Tell me what you think when you see the next chappie.

LostnStarsHollow: Well, this chapter should have answered your curiosity and then some. All of Logan's interaction with Duncan, plus the outcome of that conversation. I'm glad you like the way Logan found out about Keith. You know, I've announced pregnancies several times. With the last one, you begin to think...is there really another original way to announce these things to our family and friends. This fic is kind of like that. How can I take the events in canon and the au events and give them enough of an original twist to make them worth reading. So, all of that to say, I'm glad you like that little reveal.

firebirdgirl: Well, what did you think? This chapter answered your question about Duncan's response.

FemminaPerfett: Well, welcome. I don't believe we've had the pleasure before. Thanks for taking the time to review. And, let me just say, I LOVE that you love the twist. You probably gave me one of the best compliments I could get. Thanks so much! Keep reading. We'll see if we can't work any more twists and turns out of these two kids!

carito2p: You are so cute. Well, as you can tell by this chappie, Duncan won't go gentle into that good night quite yet. Ass or not, he's going to be around for a stretch. But, of course, I will always stand by LoVe.

Jenn6891: Boob job? Nah, that's not our girl. Yes, Logan is really finding himself quite wrapped up on V's life, isn't he? You know, no matter what happens between good friends, there will always be that shared past. With that, when crisis calls, people come together.

IluvVM: so glad to have surprised you. I hope you are enjoying the twists. Don't worry, still more to come!

iloveveronicamars: Well, I will repeat what I told another reviewer about V's attitude. (I thought it was really important to get across this new outlook of Veronica's. Yes, she is a teen, but she's also a mommy. I'm a mom and can say from experience that no matter what you think is important, it all gets turned upside down when you have a child. You even watch movies in a different light. Some of the things that were good enough for you growing up aren't good enough for your child...because you want everything to be better, purer, easier, more wonderful for your child. ) To me, this just seems so real-to-life. Cassidy is not the father. That's what you wanted me to say, right? Ah, you got all of D's reaction here, hope you enjoyed it.

Mallikad: Okay, I will say that official LoVe is going to take awhile, but you may enjoy the next chapter a little. Isn't it amazing the kind of effect reviews can have on you? I'm glad you liked this chapter and hope you continue to enjoy the fic.

StormySummers1: Hmmm, I don't know if I've heard from you before. If not, then welcome. If so, I'm sorry I didn't recognize you. I'm glad you liked the update. Yeah, you know, with as crazy as these fics and the original canon can get, I like to see true human reaction. You know that it wouldn't have been easy for Veronica to swallow her pride all the while knowing that others were going to believe mis-truths about her. When we feel injustice, we just want to scream the truth from the rooftops. She felt all that. In the end, she had to make a terribly difficult choice to put her child first. Serious tears would have been involved. Your right, Logan is definitely on the outside looking in, but that's changing. He's finding himself more and more drawn into V's world. I know what her fellow students know, but I'm not sure when that will be revealed. We'll just have to wait and see.

XxspuffsterXX: As always, wonderful to hear from you. Well, this chap answered all of your questions about L/D discussion and the subsequent reactions. What did you think? Now, you know me well enough to know that there will eventually be LoVe. Until that officially happens, there will be little presents along the way to hopefully keep you satisfied. Next chapter will have one of those presents. Hope you like it!

And, yes, you should be in hog heaven with as many of your shippers appearing together. I'm just so happy that we are finally in April and that JD will be gracing my Friday nights again. I love him in the sleek suits.

christykq: Well, let's just say one thing. Like with DL, Logan and V will be spending a great deal of time together throughout this fic, even if they aren't officially LoVe for a while. I will put to rest that question, though. I believe in nothing more than I believe in LoVe (at least in the fic world). I'm so glad that you are finding the story original. With so many great fics out there, I think it can be difficult to find something original to write.

I do understand your disappoint in the case that this isn't a LoVe child. But, if that's the case, I hope the writing and development of the situation will make up for that loss. But, I will tell you the same thing I told a couple of other reviewers. You asked so nicely who the father was, so I'll tell you. The father is .

Literati and naley forever: Refer to the reply above for the answer to who the father is. See? You guys ask and I'm kind enough to provide answers. :-) Anyway, I'm glad I caught you off guard with the baby. We should be seeing more of V's thoughts from here out. It will be written more like DL was, I believe.

wobbielogan: Welcome. It is great to hear from you even amidst all of your mixed emotions with this fic. I do understand that this can be a sensitive subject matter. I would ask you to stick with me and see how things work out, but I really would like you to feel comfortable. I'll understand if you can't go on with the fic. As for a LoVe baby...if this is not a LoVe baby, my hope is that the writing and development of the story would make up for that. Thanks, again!

scarlett2u: So good to hear from you. I'm glad that you are enjoying PHR and that you were inspired enough by DL to register to review. That is an amazing compliment. Now, I must say that if Logan needs a hug and back rub, I am more than willing to sacrifice my time and energy for the cause. You know, that's just the kind of girl I am. :-) And, frankly, I hope that the readers need a little TLC, too. I love reading fics where I feel like I am right there with the characters and feeling every emotion along with them. When I finish an update, I want it to be so good that it stays with me and I can't help but consider the possibilities for the fic. If I can elicit half of that from my readers, I am a happy girl. I'm so glad to have taken you by surprise and I hope you continue to enjoy the ride even when, at times, it levels off for story development sake. One tip I have for passing the time between any updates on fics...is to do what I did. Start writing something yourself. When I first started DL, it was because I felt like I had read everything out there and there was very little being produced at the time. I had to begin writing in order to feed my own obsession. Now, if that doesn't work...Tillamook Mudslide Ice Cream is always a good option for me. :-)

LilLadyMe: Well, this chapter should have answered all of your questions about Duncan and his reaction. What did you think? I like that the story didn't tip its hand too early with the pregnancy, although some readers picked up on it quickly.

xosummerxo: I'm glad I surprised you. It makes it no fun if the twists are too obvious! Thanks for the review!!

dontudare: BTW, I just love your screen name. I understand and appreciate your comments. Thanks for the review! I really appreciate it.

Isilady: hmmm...we'll just have to see. But, just to be fair, I will give you the same answer about the father as I have other reviewers. The father is . See all of your answers right in plain sight. Seriously, though, let's see how this thing plays out.

LoVeElle: Well, if the last chapter was a lot to process, I'm pretty sure this one was too! Thank you for your open mind and the faith in me. I really appreciate it and I hope to not let you down. I don't think Logan got a good look at Keith because his face was to V's breast and there was a blanket covering most of the rest of it. He really only saw some dark hair. And, don't worry. I love cocky, snarky Logan as much as anybody. He won't stay hidden forever...just long enough to serve the setting of the fic. I hope you like this chapter.

SoManyObsessions: You know, I figure that if people are so gracious as to review for me, they deserve the response from me. And, the reviewers hear are so generous. I'm glad I could give you a good break from your essay. I'm glad it was worth it and that you enjoyed it. This chapter was pretty full, what did you think?

Frost Merry Darkness Luver: Well, I'll give you the same response in regard to the father as I have other reviewers. The father is . Really, I'm giving away so much as it is, I just can't say another word on the subject. :-) I'm glad you like the chapter though.


	6. Chapter 6

Pan High Rules

Chapter 6

A/N: REVIEWERS!! Thank you so much. You actually have saved a couple pieces of this fic. It was through your questions and pondering that I realized that I had forgotten to address two very important aspects of the fic. I needed to either get something in here or plan for the set-up of something and had completely forgotten. I would have been royally ticked!! So, thank you, thank you, thank you!! You know I love you all!

FYI: I just figured out that this is a fairly short update, with LOTS of review replies. oops! BTW, you know I still don't own it and if I did, LoVe would have been eternal!! So there, RT/CW!

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When Veronica approached her door, she couldn't hear her son crying. She was relieved that Logan had been able to calm him down. It was so quiet behind the door, she didn't know what to expect.

Nothing could have prepared her for the sight that met her once she entered her room. Logan was laying on her bed. He was positioned on his side facing Baby Keith, who was cradled in his arm and snuggled into his neck.

The sight melted Veronica's heart in an instant. There was a time in her life, when Logan had been one of her closest friends, that she would have cherished the sight of them bonding. When she moved quickly to retrieve her camera, she convinced herself that it had nothing to do with Logan. It was simply that her son looked so adorable.

The pictures she took, clearly showing the two boys snuggled together betrayed her intentions. When she switched to black and white and cropped in close on their faces, she still refused to admit to more than a desire to capture a moment involving just her son.

When she had finished getting the perfect shots, she just stared at them. She wasn't sure of her next step. Should she wake Logan and tell him it was time to leave? She could, but she knew that he had ridden with Duncan. During their long conversation in the living room, he'd explained how Logan had come over to the house and told Duncan about Veronica and the baby. He'd told her about his single focus to get to her and that, not understanding what was happening, Logan had jumped into Duncan's car.

If she woke him, she knew that he wouldn't have a ride home. She certainly was in no mood to pack up the baby and go running across town to drive him. They may not be friends, really, but she still couldn't do that to him.

She decided that it was best to just let Logan stay where he was. Waking him would be risking waking her son and she never liked taking that risk. Anything she could do to keep him sleeping was a plus. Unfortunately, she knew that since she hadn't nursed him, she needed to express some milk. Either that or end up with painfully rock hard breasts and a milk-soaked shirt. She grabbed her sleep shorts and breast-feeding top and moved into her father's room to change and pump.

When she finished pumping and came back to her room to see the boys still sleeping away, she sat down at her desk. On it was a picture of the Fab Four. She picked it up, still remembering the feeling of how happy they'd all been then. Sure, they had their teenage drama, but more importantly they had each other. Back then, she thought that the four of them could take on the world, conquer it even.

There was a time when she would have given up everything to go back. She would have her best friend back, her boyfriend back and Logan, a best friend in his own right. It meant more now, though. The stakes were higher. She'd have to give up her son and she couldn't imagine that. If she had a choice, she wouldn't choose to go back. She wouldn't choose to bring back Lilly, and that made her feel extremely guilty.

Veronica's father often said to her, "I love you so much, I wouldn't trade you for the world." It was always nice to hear something like that from your dad, but looking at her own child, she knew how true it was. She felt a love and a protectiveness for her son that rivaled none she'd ever known, not even for the man she'd always thought of as her father.

Veronica felt something tickle her face and reached up to scratch it. When she did, she realized that the itch had come from the tears that were streaming down her face. Until that moment, she hadn't realized she'd even been crying. She continued to stare at the picture as she wiped away the tears with a tissue. Her vision turned into a complete blur and she finally let herself fully cry over all of the things she'd lost in the past and the uncertainty of her future.

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Logan woke with a start at the movement next to him. He looked around the dark room, lit only by a small light on the desk and tried to remember where he was. When he felt another movement next to him, he looked down and saw Baby Keith beginning to wake. Veronica was passed out at her desk from the exhaustion of the day and new motherhood.

They weren't friends, but they weren't mortal enemies anymore. Logan didn't know what he and Veronica were, but he knew that no one deserved the day she'd had. He rubbed his face to wake himself up and then gently swept the baby into his arms and went into the kitchen. When he snuck back into her room to heat the bottle he'd gotten from the refrigerator, Veronica hadn't moved at all.

Standing there, waiting anxiously for the two minutes it took to heat up the bottle, Logan just hoped that Baby Keith wouldn't make any noise and wake his mommy. He nervously glanced between her sleeping form and the little red light on the bottle warmer. As soon as the light went out, he'd be able to take the baby back out to the living room and feed him there.

Finally, the light went off indicating that the bottle was done. Logan scooped it up quickly and headed into the living room. He grabbed the remote to the television and sat down to feed Baby Keith. He turned the sound down on the tv as he channel-surfed. When he stopped feeding the baby to burp him, Logan figured he'd become an expert. He decided that he was a natural.

'Only my second time out of the gate and look at me. Veronica's asleep and I'm out here taking care of everything. Let mommy sleep? Check. Warm up the bottle? Check. Burp the baby like a pro? Absolutely.' Just as his ego was reaching manacle proportions, the baby let out a loud burp and then dribbled more spit-up on his shirt. Logan had to chuckle.

"Yeah, kid. You're a real comedian. Well, just so you know, a little spit-up doesn't scare me. I mean, come on. I've dealt with Dick Casablancas after a weekend of partying in TJ. Until you've seen that, you ain't seen nothin'. You'll just have to try harder next time. Ha ha." The smugness dropped from Logan's demeanor as soon as the baby straightened his whole body. Instead of slumping against Logan's shoulder to burp, he was practically standing on his own, pushing his feet into Logan's leg. Then, came the sound that brought pure terror to the previously cocky young man.

The baby began to grunt loudly, his face and head turned red and then a shockingly loud gurgling noise came out of him. Only, it wasn't from his mouth. It came from somewhere south of there. Logan's eyes got huge when he felt his left hand, the hand that had been holding the baby's bottom, getting warmer. Then, the grunting again and the gurgling. Finally...came the smell.

"Oh, Man! What is wrong with you, kid? You're delusional if you really expect me to deal with that. What happens between a man and his bowels is his business...or his mom's, as the case may be."

Logan stood up and walked into Veronica's room intent on waking her so she could change the nasty diaper. As he approached her desk, he saw a few crumpled tissues on it and the floor surrounding it. He noticed another that was still in her hand and he could see the tear tracks on her face. He sighed and wished, once again, that he hadn't led Duncan to her apartment earlier in the day. He stepped closer to gently shake her awake, but stopped short when he noticed what was resting in her other hand.

Logan gently picked up the picture frame and stared at the four young, excited teenagers who smiled back at him. He felt like he was looking at a picture of strangers or of people he knew from a past life. So much had happened. So much had changed in just a year.

He couldn't help but wonder how they'd gotten to where they were. One girl was dead, having taken a part of her three closest friends with her. One boy, the brother, a shell of his former self, tortured by his sins against the most innocent of their group. The other boy, himself, a hardened and shattered soul trying to find his place in a world that seemed to keep turning, with or without Lilly Kane. Then, the last of the Fab Four. The most innocent of them, who had lost that innocence along with the rest of her previous life. The one struggling to deal with life-altering, life-long decisions.

Logically, he knew. He could trace it back to Lilly's death and further to Duncan and Veronica's break-up. If he really wanted to go back to the beginning, he could say that it had all started with a not-so-harmless kiss. A kiss between two people that should have never given into the alcohol and jealousy-induced temptation. A kiss that would be seen as a betrayal and, in the end, the reason that Logan was not there to protect Lilly the day she'd been murdered.

He looked back down at the child in his arms, now the only innocent one left. The one spawned out of lies and deceit, infidelity and injustice. The child who knew nothing of his screwed up beginnings, only of the constant love and care of his mother. The teenage mother whose life had just been dealt one final and lasting blow.

Veronica had always been one of the strongest people Logan knew. When they were friends, she was surrounded by 09ers who would sell out their best friend the instant they got a better offer. She had always stood her ground. She stood by the moral code that she believed in. She stood constant and firm in the ever-changing world of pop teen angst. Again, her strength was tested when her long-term boyfriend broke up with her unexpectedly.

When her father went after Jake Kane, she once again took her stand in the midst of her own crumbling social status. Right or wrong, she had remained strong. That immense strength had carried her through the last year when she thought she'd been raped and the resulting pregnancy. The fear that she'd faced when her son was born prematurely and had to remain hospitalized, again, a test of her unwavering fortitude.

Logan watched the girl breathing evenly, sleeping peacefully. How strong was she really? How would she hold up in light of the day she'd had and all the days that would follow?

'And I'm worried about a diaper,' Logan thought as he sighed disgustedly at his own childish attitude.

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Standing back in the living room, Logan looked around before spotting his target. On the kitchen counter sat a diaper bag. He grabbed a diaper and wipes and then laid Baby Keith down on the couch.

"Okay, here goes nothing. It's only a diaper. How bad can it be?" He asked the boy, whose response could only be described as a smirk, in Logan's opinion. "Yeah, laugh it up, Buddy."

Logan slowly removed the baby's clothes and studied his diaper for a moment. Taking a deep breath, he went for it. He unfastened the two straps holding the diaper together and quickly pulled back the offending diaper. He jerked his head away and winced at the sight that greeted him. He was definitely going to have to ask Veronica what she was putting in that breast milk. There was nothing natural about the color of what was in that diaper. He was convinced that something had to be terribly wrong with the child.

Logan quickly reached for the wipes, but his attention was drawn back to the boy when he felt something hit his face. Horrified he realized that the demonic child had been soaking him with urine.

"Aah," Logan quickly covered the boy again, although he knew it was too late for damage control anyway.

He looked down to see the wet trail that led down his shirt and onto his jeans. The first wipe that he grabbed was used to wipe off his face. Then, he went to work trying to clean the boy's diaper area. Of course, the newborn wouldn't hold still and kept trying to pull his feet close to his body. Logan knew his luck was sealed when the baby stuck his white sock-covered foot right into the middle of the diaper. He then proceeded to kick that foot around while Logan tried to catch it.

After about ten wipes and the removal of the previously clean-looking socks, Logan was ready to put on the fresh diaper. It went on fairly easily, if you consider the two times he switched it because he thought it was backwards, only to figure out that he'd had it right to begin with.

Finally, the new diaper was on and the old one was wrapped up and thrown away along with the soiled socks. After struggling with uncooperative newborn limbs, Logan finally had the child redressed. He'd felt like he'd just wrestled an alligator. How in the world did Veronica do that all the time?

Knowing that he couldn't spend another minute in his urine-soaked clothes, Logan placed the baby in the bouncy seat that was sitting next to the couch. He turned it on and watched in amazement as the little chair vibrated the baby into a comfortable sleep. 'I guess I wasn't the only one who got wiped out from that little ordeal. At least I can get cleaned up now.'

Logan jumped into the shower and cleaned up as quickly as he could. He didn't want the baby waking up without anyone there and he didn't want Veronica to be woken just yet. He wanted her to rest for as long as she could.

Putting his boxers back on, Logan quickly went to check on the baby. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw the Baby Keith was still out like a light. When he got close enough, he could even hear the cutest, little snore coming from the newborn.

"You must get that snore from your mommy because I've heard Duncan snore, and there's nothing cute or fragile about it." Logan chuckled and then moved the baby to his bassinet in Veronica's room.

Again, Logan looked at Veronica and the uncomfortable position she had not shifted from. He pulled back her covers and decided that he was going to move her to her bed. Letting her get caught up on her rest wouldn't help if she woke up with a killer pain in her neck and back.

It wasn't until he picked her up and she wrapped her arms around his bare upper torso that he realized his misstep. He just prayed that she wouldn't wake up. He'd really have fun explaining himself out of that one, especially in light of recent revelations.

When he laid her down and tried to pull away, she whimpered slightly and her breathing stuttered like it does after a really hard cry. Then, she mumbled something in her sleep that took a minute for him to decipher. His heart broke for her at that realization of what her subconscious had revealed. He quickly laid next to her, stroking her hair and making soothing noises in her ear. Logan had no idea where her father was, but he wasn't going to leave her to face the night alone. He decided to lay with her until he was sure that she was asleep, then he'd move out to the couch. It was only ten o'clock so there was plenty of time, especially since he'd gotten a nap and he never went to bed that early.

Although his eyes got huge with surprise when she snuggled into him, he wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back in an effort to comfort her. He lay there, unmoving for what seemed like hours, his mind never straying from the words she'd uttered moments before. 'Don't take my baby.'

Before that moment, he hadn't thought about the true consequences of Baby Keith being a Kane. Would Jake and Celeste use their considerable power against the Mars' once again? Would they try to take Baby Keith from Veronica and raise him as a Kane heir? He knew that Celeste would probably hate the child, just as she had Veronica for the sins that Jake had committed against her and their marriage. Unfortunately, knowing Celeste, she would probably use that as justification in her own mind for taking the baby from Lianne's daughter, whether she really wanted him or not. She would be victorious again over the Mars' and, at the same time, make her son happy by giving him access to his child.

Logan didn't know how far Celeste and Jake would go and he was scared for Veronica. He knew that no court in Neptune would side with the ousted Sheriff over the most powerful man in Neptune. That had been proven. Logan knew something needed to be done to stop that from happening. What? He had no idea.

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scarlett2u: Well, good to know you adored Daddy Daycare Logan because you got a whole 'nother dose of it in this chap. Now, I'm just going to lay it out there for you...the fact that you are lactose intolerant is truly a sad thing. The fact that you can not enjoy the experience that is Tillamook Mudslide is purely tragic. Alas, you must stay away. If you take one single bite, you will be hooked and that would only lead to your demise. SAVE YOURSELF! Stay away from the Mudslide! :-) As for the story...hey, it'd be great to see it. People are dying to have their VM fix. One piece of advice...take it slow. There have been a lot of examples lately of writers posting stuff that sounds like they've just jotted down their notes and ideas. It is a lot more fulfilling when you are writing it if you are actually experiencing it with the reader. Does that even make sense? I don't know, but I'm always happier with the writing (mine, at least) when I'm writing the picture I see in my head. Oh, also I chat with a friend regularly and we pass our story ideas back and forth. Some of my best material comes when I'm telling her what I have planned. As I'm telling her, more and more ideas come and then she'll throw in ideas, too. But, she has been complaining lately that there are too many PWP...she wants actual stories with plots. Anyway, thanks for the great review. You are married...maybe you've had kids. If so, you should really appreciate what L goes through with the rugrat! :-) I know I've been there.

XoSethCohenxO: Hold on to your hat, it's going to be a bit of a ride before we get all of the paternity questions answered. Don't give up, just enjoy the 'other' happenings while we wait for answers.

LoVe4ever666: Ah, I'm glad you see the creepy grossness of it. Be assured that I feel strongly that things could and should have been handled differently in canon regarding all of the paternity stuff. More of my views will be made obvious as time progresses. BUT! It will be a wait before all of the paternity stuff gets settled. V's going to drag it out as long as possible so she can avoid Duncan's involvement in their lives.

IluvVM: Well, thanks for coming back to review. Although I'm not totally fond of the Keith name, I felt like V did it because she truly felt like her dad was it for her...especially for a while after knowing she was preg. By the time the baby was born, she had formed good friendships, but her father was her true and steady rock. Later we'll see a little about their relationship. What he knows about her situation vs. what anyone else may know. You know, I ddn't hate Duncan in canon either. I certainly didn't think Teddy had the kind of chemistry with KB that JD had. That really sealed it for me. Duncan was fine as long as he wasn't with V. I actually didn't have a problem with him at the beg of S2 because I felt very strongly that he was just a blip in the L/V relationship. If I'd know he was going to be a crater and that we wouldn't get real LoVe until the absolute END of S2, I would have been more neg. toward him...like I was with Hannah the second time I watched S2. Again, thanks for the great reviews...don't worry, I love the long stuff.

RogueAvril: See, there is a symbiosis about our torture/surprise relationship. Yeah, Logan has a way of melting all sorts of stuff! Hee hee. Anyway, I hope you liked the interaction between V and L and BK and all the sleeping/snuggling that was going on.

Mallikad: Yes, you are right. You can't rush LoVe. We do have to remember where they are coming from and we want it to be at least a little realistic. True, true. Reviews are my crack!! Which is why I love and appreciate you all!!

jacedes: You came here! Good to see you here! Ah, yes. Duncan has a way of living in a suspended reality and we'll see more of that in a few chapters. The Keith name was a plot issue and there will be some more that comes out about V and her dad that will give more substance to naming the baby that way. Now, you know I love protective Logan...I think he's one of the absolute best Logan's. His need to protect will definitely drive some of this fic. I'm glad you liked the confrontation. Hopefully there will be plenty more nail-biting to come.

glamorouspirate: I have to agree with you. The prospects of BK's parentage is not looking real promising. Rapist, psycho-Donut, possible siblings or ?? Yeah, you know the Jenny thing really has no bearing on the actual plot, but I thought it was a way to stick it to Celeste. My little serving to the Ice Queen. The reviews are awesome. Thanks! And, I'm so glad you said something about the replies at the bottom. I was really thinking that maybe they would irritate people and I should just PM everyone my responses, but alas! You saved the response to reviews section! :-) I am glad that you are warming up to the baby situation. Hopefully, by the time this thing is over, you'll be completely on board with it. Ah, LoVe...that would be nice, wouldn't it? Hee hee...considering this is a LoVe fic. Well, there will be little tastes here and there, but be ready to be patient for the full enchilada. This is Logan and Veronica, after all. They never make it easy on us. Thanks for the great review.

SoDa.PoP9: Well, although my feelings for Duncan are not quite as strong as yours, I do whole-heartedly agree that he was let off the hook way too easily in canon. I don't believe we will have the same trouble in my fic, though. And, really, who does he think he is? Oh, that's right...a Kane. Those Kane's, I tell you!

LoVeElle: ROTFL...I hope that you got over your Beaver reference. That was hilarious. So, although I don't hate Duncan with the same passion you do, I'm also not his biggest fan. There were way too many problems in canon with the way they handled him and all of the paternity stuff. I'm going to be correcting some of that in my fic. Beware RT!! Ah...yes, you see that Logan has the upper hand now. He has what he's been waiting for. He has what Veronica assumed he wouldn't have again...something that she truly cares about to hold over her head. I wonder what he will do with such valuable information. Hmmmm...guess we'll just have to wait and see. :-) I do love a snuggling BK and Logan. I think that V did too, no matter what she thinks. Thanks for the review.

dontudare: ok, so I actually don't even know what Instant Star is...hee hee hee. I just loved the name. I feel like I should adopt an accent when I say it. Lol. Anyway, yes...there are some seriously strong feelings out there about who the baby's daddy is. Wow! Should be interesting to see how everyone reacts as things unfold.There are definitely a couple of twists coming up. Thanks!!

kiefer4ever: Thanks so much for the review. I don't think I've heard from you before, so that was nice. I must say that although I have never become a 24 fan, I too appreciate the 'Kiefer'. Lost Boys and those fangs? Ohh, can't tell me that's not hot! :-) Anyway, glad you're enjoying the fic. I'd love to hear from you again.

RaeRaeRaeLiz: Well, don't fear. Yes, it will take awhile for true LoVe, but there will be some definite moment morsels along the way. Thanks!!

christykq: Have I already told you that my only siblings name is Christy? Maybe I have, but I think of it every time I see your name. Anyway, you must know that cliffies produce much joy for me. :-) Man, you just said so many great things in your review, it's difficult to know where to start. Yes, V is in a bit of a pickle. Poor girl is just trying to protect her son's future. Who wants to be faced with telling their child, yes Honey, your father raped me. Not so good. And, frankly, I don't care who the father is...the fact that V was so out of it that she remembers nadda, doesn't make the rape allegations go away. You know? Just because D said it was consensual, well so what?! Anyway, another story. I do have a plan for who the father is and how that will affect everyone...Logan, Duncan, Beaver, V...whoever else may be involved. I'm hoping I've come up with a way that will sit well with everyone. I like the idea, but of course I would...it's my idea! And, yes, I love the OPJ catering to his arch enemy's baby. If written well enough, this chapter should have been right up your alley. And, you had a good idea with the whole D seeing how close L had gotten to BK.

Frost Merry Darkness Luver: Now, now, now. Are you trying to take all the fun away from me? :-) We'll see. Getting through all of the paternity questions is going to take some time. Try to focus on something else. Hmmm...like Logan in the shower, cleaning up after his latest battle with BK. Hee hee hee!

Literati and naley forever: ok, the party was held Dec. 6. V woke up on the 7th. Things happened the way they did in canon. V lost her virginity that night, although she didn't know who to. Give me a couple more chapters to get through some more L/V stuff, then you'll see a bit of Daddy Mars and V. You'll get to see how he found out about the pregnancy, how he feels about BK, etc.

Christinamarie712: Ok, lots of questions...a couple of answers. If I'm not mistaken, I think I said that Keith and Alicia were dating, but I'm going to have to go back and check. If so, it was a very little lunch room mention. Yes, Wallace and V are bff's. You'll have to wait and see about Cassidy. See, I know what you were doing, you sly girl. You threw in a couple of benign questions and then tried to slip in a zinger. Ah, I caught you, though. I'm not falling for your tricks. You'll just have to wait and see like everyone else. :-) Thanks!!

jessica729: Well, again...so glad you are still enjoying DL. Now, as for D being the father vs. a rapist. Well, see I have a theory about that. I'm not so sure that what Duncan did couldn't be considered rape in the legal definition of it. When someone is so inebriated they can't really consent, then it's still rape. Although, I know he said that it was loving and wonderful and consensual. How consensual could it have been if she truly didn't remember anything about that night after her drink? I don't know...

wobbielogan: Well, since your willing to stick around for a while, then bring on the '. :-) I've got some ideas, I'm hoping you'll like. It'll be a little bit, but I think it'll be okay...so says me. So, I agree. I think that canon totally screwed up with it's handling of the paternity stuff and the D/V stuff. I'm going to try to right a couple of the problems I saw. Duncan really did screw up on so many levels, it's difficult to know where to start! I also agree that Logan really had no reason to not tell D about V and every reason to tell him. There was no way for Logan to understand the hail storm he was unleashing. Oh, Protective Logan is one of my favs. We will be seeing more of him to come. And, we both know how much V loved seeing L and BK sleeping together, even if she's unwilling to admit it to herself.

iloverogan07: Thank you!! I'm loving your enthusiasm for the fic...I kinda like it, too. Shhh! Anyway, be patient because it's going to take us some time to unravel the mystery of the daddy!

roots19: First things first. Protective Logan is one of my absolute favorite Logan's. Because of my love and utter devotion to him, keep a look out for him. He will definitely be making some appearances here. Now, you've hit on a very interesting subject. How will the Kane's with all of their money and power respond? Guess we'll just have to wait and see. Anyway, thanks for the review!!

vmarslovahhh18: So, I'm really trying to not overdo things between L/V yet. They have some serious trust issues, among other things, between them. I'm hoping to show with this night that their extreme circumstances are driving their actions and that their continued circumstances affect overall change within their relationship. It definitely won't be anything short and sweet.

hayleygirl: hmmmm...interesting idea. I'll have to see what I can do about that. Don't you worry, there are ideas floating around in my brain. Maybe one of them will suit what you are looking for. :-)

Beccakell13: First of all, I think you're right about Logan being an awesome dad. His protective nature for those he loves, is amazing. As for the DNA test. You are also right. I'm not going to tell you. :-) I will tell you that you won't get that answer for several chapters now, so be patient.

Isilady: Glad you liked it...hopefully you enjoyed this continued saga begun during the last chapter. Thanks!

LostnStarsHollow: Well, I'm glad you like the mystery of the baby's dad...cause it's going to stay a mystery for a bit still. And, yes...V is going to stall as much as she can. She doesn't want to share her son with anyone, let alone Duncan.

xosummerxo: okay, so you're going along all nice and making chapter observations real friendly and all...and then ZING! You throw down the gauntlet. Are V/D related? Is D the father? I see how you are. Distract me with the right hand, when the left is trying to steal from my purse. Uh huh. Well, I'm not telling. See, how I can be. I'm not telling, I'm not gonna tell you. Okay, seriously. It's getting late and I'm obviously getting rummy!! Thanks for the review. Oh, btw...in case you didn't get it through all of my rambling...I'm not letting any info out of these lips or off of this keyboard regarding the true identity of the father of anyone. Lol

hermit hideaway: See now, I'd love to be able to help you out with some of your theories, but I just can't. Really, that would ruin the surprise. Don't you want to wait to open your present? Hee hee. Anyway, thank for the review. Stick around for a bit because we won't know all the answers too quick.

LilLadyMe: Tell me about it. First time, exhausted mom. Did V really need to deal with all of this right now? Apparently so, because she's in the thick of it now and there really is nothing I can do for her. We'll have to see how she handles it all.

LillyTaylor: Hmmmm...define LoVe. Okay, well here's the deal. We are going to have to wait a while for true LoVe, but L/V will definitely share some moments along the way. Enjoy the ride. Thanks for the review. I'm happy to hear you are enjoying it.

Carito2p: Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm glad that the chapters are not disappointing. AND, I'm happy to hear that you like the long fic w/lots of drama and angst. We've definitely got some of that for you.

SoManyObsessions; lol. I love the fact that I have sent chills through the collective readership with the possibility of D/V being related and having a kid together. Gotta love protective Logan!! Thanks again.!

XXspuffster101XX: Yes, definitely a LoVe story. Knowing you, I think you'll probably like this chapter and then next one or two coming up should be right up your alley. Let me know, though! And, yes...Mama loves her some "Protective Logan". We'll be seeing a bit more of him. In fact, that need of his to protect will provide some motivation for his future actions. Thanks for the review! You know I love hearing from you!

enchantedlight: Thanks! I'm glad you're still enjoying it!

oceankat330: Yeah, what's up with you missing chapters? That's not allowed! :-) Oh, well. At least it gives you lots to read when you do catch up. Oh, I do have me some plans for who the father is and how it's all going to play out and hmmmmm...well, lots of stuff. I think it'll be pretty original. Just got to get it out of my head an onto the screen! Oh, FYI...I copy my fav stories to a Word doc or something and print out the ones I want on hand. I have a binder I keep. I copy them over, then change the font to 7, reduce the margins way down...that way I'm at least saving a little bit of paper. As for the Wallace/V interaction. I've still got some plans to incorporate them and Mac and Ritchie a bit more. They won't have huge roles, but I am trying to work them in there a bit. Although, don't expect it too soon...there's still a mass amount of L/V to get through before we hit on anything else. They won't even leave the apartment for another chapter...I think!!

Harri-bean: Well, I have to agree with you about D. He's just being a punk. It will be interesting to see how this strong V reacts to this new and horrible twist in her situation. Hate to say it, but I'm quite happy being an addiction of yours...at least my fics! Thanks so much!!

Maiqu: You know, there are a lot of questions about who the father is. A lot of really extreme feeling as to who it should or shouldn't be. I think that I've come up with a solution that will satisfy most people...BUT...it's going to take some time for it to all unravel. Lots of little bridges to cross before we get there. Hang in there.

finajk: Thank you, thank you, thank you. Yeah, it's definitely odd that V would pass BK off to Logan, but it was an extreme circumstance. This update was more of that. For Logan to choose to put himself in this situation, the circumstances have to be pretty extreme. I think we can all agree that V has about as much on her plate as anyone should be expected to handle. Thanks!!

Jenn6891: Well, hope you like V's reaction to L/BK. Hey, even if she doesn't admit to it...we know she secretly LOVED seeing them together! Thawing is beginning to happen, just not real quickly. We have to remember that this night is an enigma in their relationship. Let's see how it changes things between them. BTW, I try to stick with updating on Tuesdays. I have a couple more chapters ready, but if I rush it too much, then I'll be out of material with nothing to post in a couple of weeks. Argh! :-)

firebirdgirl: Thank you, thank you!! Yes, they're definitely having a night, aren't they. In fact, if you think about Logan finding out that morning that V even had a baby, to everything he's found out since. Then, this night that they are currently experiencing. Whew! He should be one tired boy after all of this. Good thing he's got lots of energy and can keep up, huh? :-)


	7. Chapter 7

Pan High Rules

Chapter 7

A/N: Frankly, there are just so many things that I don't own, it's almost pointless to start listing them now. But, for the sake of argument, I don't own VM, Mission Impossible, Hallmark or Tillamook Mudslide ice cream (although, I should). Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy!!

A/N2: PATERNITY. Just so you know, I've gotten a couple of calls for immaculate conception or magic, causing Logan to be the father. Don't worry, I'll get right on that (wink wink).

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The next morning, Veronica woke up at six o'clock. She was happy that, even with the sleepless nights the baby brought, her body would still automatically wake her in time to get ready for school. What did come as a surprise was the view she had when she opened her eyes. She was looking directly at Logan's chest, with her head tucked under Logan's chin. When they'd gone to sleep the last time, he had been behind her. Somehow, in the three hours of sleep they'd gotten, she'd turned herself around in the tiny bed.

She was surprised to find that his arm was still wrapped around her, although no longer attached to the baby. When she craned her head to check on her son, she smiled and rolled her eyes at the fact that the baby was laying on his back with outstretched arms. It was unbelievable that an eleven-pound child had the ability to secure more bed space than two full-grown adults.

Veronica knew that she didn't want to be in such an intimate position when Logan woke up. She needed to figure out how to distance herself before they had the really awkward 'waking up together' moment. It was going to be an act of God for her to get out of the bed without waking the boys that were sleeping on either side of her. If she crawled to the bottom of the bed to escape, she'd have to get out from under the blankets without uncovering the boys. She knew that, unless she could just roll herself up into a ball and balance on her shoulder blades, that wouldn't be an option.

Veronica cringed at the only choice left. She had to crawl over Logan. The baby was next to the wall, so it wouldn't help to go that way. Veronica looked around Logan to see what she could use as leverage. She just needed a little help to pass over his larger body.

Having worked out her plan, Veronica set it in motion. She gently rose up on her elbow, then her hand. She slowly reached over Logan's sleeping form and placed her other hand on the bassinet, while she rose to her knee. Veronica almost blew it when she started giggling at her position. She felt like she was in a Mission Impossible scene where she had to contort and levitate her body, in order escape without being caught by the enemy.

She had gotten her left foot steadied onto the small amount of bed between Logan and the edge. Her heart was racing with adrenaline, knowing that she was on the line between freedom and being caught. She just needed thirty more seconds and she would succeed. Unfortunately, at that precise moment in his sleep, Logan turned onto his back.

Veronica's foot was swept out from under her so swiftly that her entire body came crashing down ungracefully, right on top of Logan. His eyes shot open just in time to see Veronica's face hurling toward his own. The contact between her forehead and his mouth and chin was more than ungraceful. It was loud and extremely painful. Veronica's head shot up to look at Logan just as her hands came up to cover his protests and cries of pain.

"Shh, shh, shh, shh," Veronica was panicked in her attempt to not wake her sleeping son. The only way she'd managed to get ready and be on time for school so far, was by taking advantage of his time asleep. She directed Logan's attention to the sleeping baby. "I'm sorry, I was trying to get out of bed without waking you guys. Guess it didn't really work."

Logan was never a morning person. It always took him at least until after his shower, to get his bearings. Waking up, though, with a one hundred-pound wake up call falling on top of you was bound to get anyone's attention. As he saw the shocked and embarrassed expression on her face and the sleeping baby next to them, he understood what was happening.

"It's okay. I get it," he whispered back. Logan took a deep breath to try to calm himself from such an abrupt wake. As his mind began to slow back to normal speed, his attention was brought to the predicament they were in. They were both silently nursing the quickly-reddening spots on their faces. He could feel his heart racing in his own chest and the rapid beat of her own against him.

Veronica's face was an amazing shade of red, that he assumed was probably from her attempts to get out of bed unnoticed and the embarrassment over the position they found themselves in. She started to scoot around so that she could get her footing on the floor. His eyes got huge as he felt the friction that her straddling form was causing. He was still a teenage boy. The only time he didn't wake up with at least a partial erection was when he had gotten so wasted the night before that he was still drunk in the morning.

Logan quickly grabbed her hips to stop any further movement. One more shimmy from the little blonde one and he was really going to embarrass himself. Veronica was about to get upset until she looked at Logan's expression. His eyes were huge and his jaw tensed. He had a look on his face that seemed to communicate his hope that she would understand.

Before Veronica could ask him what was wrong, she felt the problem. Her first thought was to jump off of him and get as far away from him as possible. Luckily, she realized that a reaction like that would only make the situation far worse for both of them.

Logan must have realized that she finally understood because he averted his eyes and blew out the deep breath he'd been holding. Veronica surprised him, then, when she dropped her forehead to his shoulder and started silently giggling.

'You've got to be kidding. She's laughing?' Logan knew that it was a funny situation...when you weren't in it. He just hadn't thought that Veronica would be so understanding.

'Of course. Why would this have been easy? No, I had to get stuck in, what has to be the worst, most embarrassing position with Logan Echolls,' Veronica lamented to herself. She couldn't help laughing at the ironic situation they found themselves in. Two people, who by most standards, could be considered enemies found themselves in one of the most physically intimate positions known to man.

Veronica decided that the quickest way to separate their lower torsos, was to just lift her hips straight up. She let her chest push against his, while she supported the rest of her weight on her arms and leg. She felt her mistake when she noticed that, even in her levitated position, she still hadn't fully broken contact with him. His erection had spanned the space between them.

When she realized what had happened, she quickly reversed the motion, attempting to undo what had been done. Unfortunately, that movement was enough to undo him. Imagine her surprise when Logan grabbed and squeezed her butt with one hand and the back of her neck with the other. His hips involuntarily pressed into hers and he let out a grunt and a ragged breath. Then, another smaller thrust which he held for a moment.

"No, no, no," Veronica could hear the agony in Logan's words as he spoke them into her hair. His hand was still firmly on the back of her neck, keeping her from looking into his face as the wave of his orgasm passed.

"So sorry. Oh, Ronnie...didn't mean, oh," Logan had lost the ability to speak clearly. He was lost between embarrassment and shameful ecstasy. He knew that it shouldn't have felt as good as it did.

She gasped when she felt the moisture on her leg and soaking into her sleep shorts. Her mind was racing. She knew that he hadn't meant to violate her. On the contrary, she was the one who had forced the situation through her unskilled movements. The only time she'd been around an erection was the couple of times Duncan had gotten excited when they were making out. When that happened, though, he would make a quick escape to the bathroom to 'calm down'. They'd never gone as far as her touching it so she had no idea of the kind of response or sensitivity a guy would have to certain movements.

Suddenly, she had lost her desire to move from her spot. If she moved, it would mean facing what had just happened. Not only would she be face to face with Logan, but she would also have to deal with the little present he'd left on her. What was she supposed to do about that?

'Please, God, tell me this is a nightmare,' Logan thought to himself. His eyes were squeezed shut tightly and he couldn't believe that he'd lost control like that. It had felt painfully awesome and he can remember a time when Veronica had been one of his fantasies, but he was sure that he was living his version of hell. He hadn't lost control of his body like that since he'd started puberty. Veronica Mars, the girl he had hated for so long, had changed all that.

"Th-that never happens. I-I...I'm sorry, I 'm sorry. I di-didn't mean to do that." Logan was at a loss as to what he should say. It would have been an uncomfortable situation had they been dating. The fact that they weren't and barely spoke apart from the previous night, made it all that much worse.

"It's okay, Logan. Really." Logan was still holding her to him and Veronica's face was still buried in his shoulder. Neither wanted to move for fear of facing each other. Veronica knew that they couldn't just lay there all day, but she needed an easy escape. She needed to get out of there without having to have any more discussion on the subject. She decided that she would just act like nothing happened. "I'm just going to go take a shower and get ready for school, okay?"

"Yeah." It was all Logan could say. He had really expected her to be furious with him, but she wasn't. At least, she wasn't showing it.

Veronica slid ungracefully off of him, but it didn't matter anymore. He watched her as she walked quickly into the bathroom, never looking back at him. He laid his head back and stared at the ceiling, allowing all of the air to escape his lungs.

Logan laid there and tried to make some sort of sense of the events that had happened in the previous twenty-four hours. He'd gone from trying to figure out what game Veronica was playing to finding out that she really wasn't playing any games at all. When she'd told him she had realized that there was so much more to life than high school and all of the drama, she was serious. It was difficult to imagine all that she'd gone through. Losing Lilly, her friends, her social status, her house and her virginity. Only to find out that she got pregnant from the rape, which now she finds out wasn't a rape, but incest instead.

Having said all that, Logan wasn't sure how he felt about that whole situation. Duncan was his best friend, had been for years. The problem was that the guy he'd relied on and trusted had not only crossed lines, but pole-vaulted over them. Logan was used to bending the rules, but what Duncan had done was so out of the realm of normal rule-bending.

Logan was rubbing his hands over his face, trying to clear his thoughts and wondering why Duncan acted the way he had, when he heard a faint little sound. He looked to his left and laying there was the sleeping form of Baby Keith. His mouth was slightly open, his upper lip jutted out and he had the cutest little snore going.

In that moment, Logan was sure of nothing, but his need to make sure that the innocent baby sleeping soundly next to him stayed safe and unaware of the storm that surrounded his life. And, although Logan still wasn't sure about the status of his and Veronica's relationship, he knew that Veronica was a part of that equation. She'd already done so much to try to protect her son. She had tried to shield him from the twisted fairytale of his conception, from the taunts and stress of her pregnancy if she'd stayed at Neptune High and from the verbal and emotional stress of Duncan's visit.

With that clarity in mind, Logan got out of bed and got dressed. He planned to be out of there before he had another face to face with Veronica. He knew he'd need to talk to her about it later, but wanted a chance to regain a bit of his dignity.

When he heard her turn off the shower, he waited a minute. Then, he quietly knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" Veronica opened the door a crack.

"I just wanted to let you know that I was going to head home so I could get changed for school. Baby Keith is still sleeping."

"Okay." She returned, still unsure of what she wanted to say to him

"I'll see you later." As Logan turned to leave, Veronica stopped him.

"Logan? One more thing?"

"Yeah?"

"Um, thanks. Thanks for everything. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been here yesterday." He could tell that she was at a very vulnerable point. Thanking Logan Echolls for anything must have taken a lot of humility on her part.

"You're welcome." Logan had to smile. It'd taken a lot of humility and he was sure that she'd probably seen it as a weak moment. He knew, though, that it took a hell of a lot of strength on her part. He was in awe of the strength she possessed after everything she'd been through. He was sure that her experiences would have broken anyone else.

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When Veronica stepped out of her car at school that morning, she had two objectives. One, she had to figure out a way to stall Duncan's attempts to contact her about the DNA tests, thereby preventing the actual tests from occurring and delaying any visitation between him and his son.

Veronica's second objective? Avoid Logan Echolls at all costs. She meant what she said, she was truly grateful for his presence the day before and throughout the night. Although, she wished he didn't know her secrets, he had served as a buffer between Duncan and her son.

Eventually, she needed to talk to him about everything he'd heard between Duncan and her. She just wasn't ready to face him. He'd been so supportive throughout the night. The fact was though, he was Duncan's best friend and he hated her. She had to be very careful around him. She didn't whether she could trust him to not report back to Duncan.

Logan and Veronica went through their morning trying to avoid each other while simultaneously keeping an eye on each other. It was a tricky feat. Once again, Logan was grateful that they didn't share any morning classes, they just had to be careful to not run into each other in the hall. He knew that the afternoon would be different.

"Hey, Man!" Logan jumped and spun around to see Wallace standing behind him, smiling.

"Oh, hey. How's it going, Wallace?" Logan tried to act like his mind wasn't really a million miles away. He tried to forget that the day before had changed so much of his outlook on the events of the last year. He tried to hide the confusion that those thoughts caused within him.

"Good. How about you? You seem a little distracted today and you don't look like you got a lot of sleep. Everything okay?" Wallace's sincerity did not go unnoticed by Logan. He'd spent so much time with his 09er buddies who thought that a deep conversation meant talking about girls and surfing, not just one or the other.

Duncan had been his best friend for years, but when Lilly died, he became a shell of his former self. It was almost as if the emotion chip had been completely removed from him. Their friendship in the last year had been based more on their shared history together than any continued bonds they still had.

"Yeah. I didn't get a lot of sleep, but that's alright. That'll teach me to wait until the last night to work on my history project." Logan was hoping his lie would slide by and wanted to gear the conversation away from himself. "How's the team looking for this year?"

"Ah, pretty good. I think I know everyone who is trying out and it won't be bad." A conspiratorial smile crossed his face as he glanced over Logan's shoulder, then he continued. "Of course, I am going to be the best player AGAIN this year. What can a brotha do, though?"

"Yeah right, Fennel. Keep dreaming." Logan turned toward the voice of their other ball-playing buddy. He welcomed the laugh that bubbled from his chest at the sight of Ritchie's indignant expression. They all continued to laugh and talk as they walked toward the lunch room.

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As if a spotlight were highlighting her, Logan's eyes narrowed in on Veronica as soon as he entered the cafeteria. He had to laugh at how great she looked. He'd endured one night of the sleeping habits of a newborn and he felt like the walking dead. Apparently, from Wallace's comments, he also looked like the walking dead. Veronica, on the other hand, looked just as radiant as ever. She'd not only been enduring sleepless nights for a few weeks, but the day prior had been an extremely emotional and traumatic day for her. After all of that, she still looked like she could take on the world.

He inwardly cringed when Wallace and Ritchie sat down opposite her, placing him practically face to face with Veronica. They all said their hello's, and Logan and Veronica hoped that no one noticed how they avoided eye contact. Seeing her again brought back all of the embarrassment Logan had felt that morning, lying under her, holding her against him, gasping for breath.

Lunch started and Mac and some of the other kids joined them. Logan hung back and just listened while four or five separate conversations went on around him. Computers, basketball tryouts, Homecoming, articles for the school newspaper and even mention of Wallace and Veronica's parents dating.

Veronica's phone rang, which wasn't rare for the lunchtime crowd. No one, except Logan noticed the dark look that took over Veronica's face when she glanced at her caller ID. She quickly hit a button to ignore the call and then looked up at Logan. He saw the guilt and pain in her eyes when she realized he'd been watching her.

Just as his concern grew to the point of asking her if everything was all right, his phone rang. He answered it quickly, only realizing then, the origin of Veronica's emotions.

"Hey, Logan. I need your help." Duncan sounded agitated.

"Hey, Duncan. What's going on?" Logan looked up to see that Veronica was avoiding his gaze. Her food had become extremely interesting as she pushed it around her plate with her fork.

"Yeah, do you know where Veronica is? You're at lunch right? Is she around? I've been trying to get in touch with her so that we can set up a paternity test ASAP, but she hasn't been answering her phone all morning."

"No, man. She's, uh, not around. I think someone said she had to meet with a teacher during lunch. That's probably why she isn't answering." Veronica's head snapped up when she heard him covering for her. She couldn't believe that he was lying to his best friend for her.

"Oh, okay. Well, if you see her, could you ask her to call me?" Duncan's voice had lost all of its bravado and the lack of emotion that Logan had grown to know so well had crept back in.

"Yeah, sure. I'll let her know. See you later, Dude." As he closed his phone, he watched the tension leave Veronica's body and relief wash over her face. He realized that she didn't know where he stood regarding Duncan. How could she? He wasn't even sure about it himself. One thing was for sure. He wasn't ready to sell her out to a boy he wasn't sure he knew after so many years of friendship.

Lunch continued quietly for both Veronica and Logan. They were lost in their own thoughts about Duncan and the predicament Veronica was in. They stole glances at each other while trying to decipher the thoughts in each other's minds.

When lunch ended, Logan followed Veronica out and then steered her to a side hallway that was fairly deserted. He had to know where they stood.

"Are we okay?" Logan asked her nervously.

"Okay?"

"Well, you know, as okay as we ever were? This morning..." he wasn't quite sure what he wanted to say. 'Did you feel violated by me this morning? I know you think I'm an ass, but do you think I'm a pervert who would willingly take advantage of you? Man, where's Hallmark when you need them? Now would be the perfect time for one of their, so sorry if you felt violated this morning, cards.' Logan's mind started to wander to all of the possibilities. 'What about their, 'About that incident, you know the one where I used your body to relieve myself' card? How about their, 'Hey, thanks for catching my sperm this morning' card. Yeah, never a good Hallmark around when the words just won't come to you.'

Logan wasn't sure why he cared what Veronica thought of him so much. Sure, he didn't want her to go to the cops and turn him in for assault. He was pretty sure she wouldn't do that and even if she did, it wouldn't go very far. No, he wasn't concerned about any legal problems.

In light of the revelation of what had happened to her, it was her emotional state he was concerned about. She didn't trust him because of what he'd done to her in the past. He wanted to know, though, that she still had enough faith in him to believe that he wouldn't hurt her in that way. He wouldn't hurt her in the same way someone else she trusted had.

"Look, Logan, it's fine. I mean, sure it was a little embarrassing, but it's no big deal. I know you didn't mean for anything like that to happen and it was my fault that we were in that position anyway." Even though she'd been in shock that morning, she could tell that he was petrified about her reaction. He could be a total ass, but she knew that he didn't really have any responsibility for what had occurred in her bed. She didn't want him to feel bad so she tried to lighten the mood. "It's funny, if you think about it. In a million years, we couldn't have created that situation had we tried."

"Yeah, I guess. So, we're okay, then?" Logan still needed confirmation.

"Yeah, we're fine." Veronica wondered what alternate universe they were in that they were actually fine. They hadn't been fine since Lilly died, and yet, at that moment they were.

"Good," Logan replied softly. "Well I guess I'll see you in class then."

Veronica stopped him as he passed by her to leave the secluded hallway. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" Logan knew that there were a lot of things that she could be asking. Was she talking about him turning the school against her after Lilly died, which he knew they'd have to talk about eventually? Was she asking about the events of the morning? Telling Duncan she had a baby? Staying with her through the night? His mind was swimming with the possibilities.

"The phone call. Why did you cover for me with Duncan?" Veronica didn't know if she could trust Logan's answer, but she needed to know. She needed to know what he would say and whether she'd believe him or not.

Logan shrugged. "You need time. I get that. After everything you've been through, to find out about Duncan yesterday had to be difficult. You need time to sort everything out."

"Yeah." Veronica did believe him and she was dumbfounded by his insight. She had always known, that beneath the partying, perverted boyfriend of her best friend, lie a very old soul. When they were friends, she would have sworn she could see it in his eyes. It was as if he'd seen and experienced too much to be as young as he was. He had an understanding and depth that transcended his age. "Thanks, Logan. You're right. I just need some time."

Logan watched Veronica walk away from him. They'd had an actual conversation about very real things and not because they were thrown into the situation like they had been the night before. Logan knew it was a step in the right direction. She'd opened up more to him than she had since Lilly died. It gave him hope that she would allow him to get closer to her.

He needed to be closer to her in order to make sure that she and her baby were going to be okay. Logan didn't think that Veronica would never share the details of what was going on with anyone at school. He needed to make sure that he spent time with them outside of school in order to keep an eye on them and on Duncan.

Logan was extremely uneasy with the way Duncan had reacted the previous day. Not only was it disturbing to find out what he'd done with Veronica knowing that she was his sister, but he'd also gotten very angry with her. The fact that Logan felt he needed to protect a girl he'd hated for the last year from his best friend, was all the indication he needed that he wasn't overreacting.

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"Hey, V! Wait up!" Veronica was almost to her car when she heard her best friend's plea. She turned and smiled at him while she waited for him to catch up.

"Hey, BFF, what's the emergency? " She said teasingly.

"I just wanted to check in with you. It's been awhile since we've gotten to hang out, just us." She loved Wallace. He had been like the brother she'd never had...well, except possibly for Duncan, of course. She couldn't think about that, though.

"Well, you're always flanked by your adoring fans, Wallace. Basketball season will be here before we know it and everyone is just trying to get in good with the team's star player." Veronica sighed dramatically. She loved teasing him about his high school 'super star' status.

When Veronica first started going to Pan High, basketball season was in full swing. She used to laugh at how she and Wallace couldn't walk from the parking lot to the front doors without him being accosted with high-fives, slaps on the butt and "Way to go, Wallace's".

Wallace adopted his cockiest attitude and smirked, "Well, baby, when you a playa, you a playa." They both broke down in giggles. He was always trying to make himself into bigger of a ladies man than he really was. Wallace was a high school super star, but the pint-sized blonde in front of him could still make him shuck his cool exterior and giggle like a thirteen-year-old girl. It drove him crazy when they were in public, but he secretly loved it when they were alone.

"Seriously, though. Are you okay?" Wallace's question took Veronica by surprise and the relaxed stance she'd adopted during their banter was gone in an instant.

"Of, course." Sure it was a lie, and not a very convincing one at that, but she hadn't really thought anyone would ask her that. She thought that she had put forth her best acting skills and fooled everyone throughout the day. She should have known better. Wallace was her best friend. Even if they hadn't spent a lot of time together since she'd come back to school, she should have known that he'd be able to see right through any facade she tried to wear.

"Uh huh," he said, not sounding very convinced. "Nothing's wrong with Keith, right? He's still healthy?"

"Yep, healthy as a horse. He's growing like a weed. You'd be shocked at how big he's gotten since the last time you saw him." Veronica welcomed the chance to change the subject to talk about her son.

"Well, we'll just have to remedy that, won't we? It's about time I came to see him again and spent some one-on-one time with my girl, too. How's your schedule looking for a movie night this week? Friday, maybe?" Wallace knew that she was hiding something and hoped she'd be able to open up to him when they spent some more time together.

"Yeah, that sounds great, Wallace. It's been too long."

"Well, good. Friday night, then. I'll see ya tomorrow." He smiled as he turned to leave.

"See ya" Veronica mimicked his move and walked to her car.

She didn't know what she should tell Wallace. She hadn't told any of her friends at Pan High about Neptune or what had happened there. She had always felt like that would be bringing all of her old baggage into the new life that she was trying to create for herself and her unborn child. On the rare occasion that someone did question her about the baby's father, she simply told them that he wasn't in the picture. Everyone had accepted it at face value and let it go.

Wallace was her best friend, her most trusted friend, but she believed what she had told Duncan the previous day. Too many people already knew about the connections in this seemingly screwed up family tree. Yes, she trusted Wallace, but she knew from experience how fragile friendships and confidences could be. She couldn't risk Wallace accidentally or purposely letting the truth slip one day. The truth would ruin her son's life and she couldn't let that happen. Not when Keith was a newborn, and not ten or twenty years down the line.

As much as she loved Wallace and would love to pour out her worries to someone, she had to put her son first. Besides, she had her father. He'd been there every step of the way and he would be there for her through whatever lay ahead.

She hadn't told her dad about the rape when it first happened. When she ended up pregnant, though, she had no choice. He had been furious and had wanted to go to the cops or investigate himself. She begged and pleaded with him for hours, telling him about all of the abuse she'd already suffered at the hands of the scorned 09ers. She told him about her plan to protect her unborn child and go to Pan High. Finally, after expressing her fears of having to share the child with anyone else, he reluctantly relented. After all, they both knew how unlikely it was that there would ever be a conviction. And, even if there were, there was still the possibility that the boy's family would be granted access to her child.

Their hearts had shattered that day. Father and daughter sobbed and screamed at the injustices of the world, holding each other in an effort to comfort and be comforted. It was the one time that Keith let his misery and anguish show. Never before and never again would he be anything, but strong for his only child. He fought to show her every day, that they would overcome everything. They would not only survive, but thrive. He'd been positive day in and day out. Even when Veronica's resolve weakened on occasion, he'd picked her back up.

Yeah, she had her dad. Although, she wasn't quite ready to tell him everything yet. She needed to know if she was a Kane. She didn't want to break her father's heart by telling him about the affair her mom had, if he didn't already know. If she turned out, to indeed, be a Mars, she'd never have to tell her father about her mom's indiscretions.

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REVIEWERS: You know I love you, you've got to know.

IluvVM: I'm glad you liked it. We will be hearing from Duncan in a couple of chapters. We'll see what he has up his sleeve then.

nightfog: So happy that you enjoyed DL. I'm glad that, even w/o liking baby fics, this one has your interest. I'm glad you liked Logan taking care of BK. I was laughing when I was writing it because I've been there and I wasn't even a teenage boy! Thanks!! Good to hear from you!! (ugh! I just couldn't get away from saying glad. Even looking at it now, prior to posting...I don't know what other word I should use. I guess I'm just really glad!)

jessica729: Ah, you must be a mom, too. I couldn't help laughing while I was writing the chapter. See, I've experienced the little boy peeing bit and I thought that was bad. Until, my daughter came along and she actually sprayed poop and on me once. I knew then, that I was in trouble with her. My son had nothin' on her. With my next child, I just never changed her diaper...didn't take it off at all. :-) Anyway, thanks!! And, glad you were satisfied with DL. I got a lot of calls at the end of that for a sequel, especially with the L/K thing, but I already had this fic consuming my brain waves and couldn't have even tried to work on something other than this.

XXspuffster101XX: Yeah, you know that these kids have had to deal with much more than your average H.S. students. Between abuse, alcoholism, the loss of their best friend/girlfriend, rape, etc, etc, etc. Most kids wouldn't have the kind of perspective that Logan had in this chapter, but having seen and experienced what he has, he can truly empathize more than most. Hmmmm, what did you think of the morning after? Heeheehee...you know I had to have a little bit of fun.

maipigen: Ah, hopeless LoVe fan. I understand where you are coming from. Welcome. Don't worry, I will finish this story...unless of course, I die in a fiery car crash. If I do, though, you can't hold it against me. Otherwise, I will definitely finish. I'm an obsessed fan and, therefore understand what it's like to be left hanging with fics. I won't do that. You know, I've gotten several calls for immaculate conception. Definitely something I hadn't thought about, but hey, maybe. Anyway, it was great hearing from you. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Keep reading!

vintage.soul494: Thanks for the review and I'm glad that this fic has captured your attention. Welcome back to the land of VM fanfic, as I've said. The beginning of this fic has really been almost an out of body experience for Logan. He's been so out of place that he hasn't been himself, but I think we're starting to see him a little more and he will be more himself as time goes on. Thanks, again!

Beccakell13: I'm glad you liked it and I'm glad you found it funny. I was laughing when I wrote it and could picture it in my head. It's nice that you got to laugh, also. See, I think Logan is totally funny (I love a sarcastic sense of humor) and I think, although he can be a OPJ, he can be extremely sweet, caring, romantic and protective when it comes to those he cares for. And, even though no one has admitted anything, we know that L and V will always care for each other...even when they think they hate each other. Thanks!

firebirdgirl: Yes, I think that Logan has experience enough in his life to really be able to handle this situation well beyond his years. Did that even make sense? It does in my head. :-)

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the "morning after"!!

LilLadyMe: You know, I got several requests for immaculate conception. Lol I hadn't considered it, but it's always an option! I've got some plans for what's going to happen with the Kane's and V and BK and etc, we'll have to wait a little while to see, though. Thanks!!

roots19: I'm so glad you felt V's despair. You know, that's one of the things that I almost forgot to put in my chapter until some of the reviews reminded me of it. I ended up adding it the night before posting. I'm really glad for the reviews!! I hope you got some good cuddling in with your man...but, what did this chapter make you want to do with him? Hey, I can only be held responsible for what I write, not what the reader does with that info after they read it. Lol. You may be right that V needs to stop stalling with the paternity results, unfortunately, she's very stubborn. Don't count on her listening to you. I've given her MANY suggestions she's just thrown out. I'm glad you are in this for the journey to LoVe. It will be a journey, but hopefully by the end, it will be worth it.

RogueAvril: I'm so glad you 'aw!-ed' so much. One question, if the last chapter made you 'aw', what did this chapter make you do? Lol Anyway, I'm glad you liked it. I mean really could Logan get any more adorable than when he's peed-on? :-) Yeah, Logan's goten a whole new understanding of what V has gone through since Lilly died/Duncan broke up with her. Glad your still with me. I love hearing from you. Thanks! Hope you liked the morning after!

christykq: I have to say that I believe my Christy would have to agree with you about the CH and Y. Anyway, I do have me some kids. Enough to have experienced every form of grossness they've been able to dish out! One of my girls actually pooped on me once. Can you believe that? I didn't even know it was possible until she shot it out at me. Much worse than the little pee her older brother had bestowed on me. Of course, I can also remember sitting on my couch in the middle of the night one time with my son and a towel, dressed only in my bra and underwear. Now, I had started out with a nightgown and big terry-cloth robe. The first time he threw up, I took off the robe. The next time, there went the nightgown. I just had to laugh at myself. There was no way I was getting more clothes on for him to vomit on!! K, enough about my bundles of poop and puke. Anyway, we know that our Logan is much deeper than his OPJ facade and your observations were spot on. I think he's really going to be surprised at how much this little guy is going to mean to him and already does. And, it will be a journey of realization for him, too. That may not make sense, but I think it will eventually. Be patient, though, because we're not completely out of the woods with our favorite couple. Thanks!!

snafumama: ok, so I'm guessing you liked that snippet? I hope so. When it's put like that, you just have to go, 'wow'! These four have been through hell. Anyway, thanks for taking the time.

Isilady: Yes, Logan is our sweetie. I've asked for him for Christmas for several years now. Unfortunately, there is some sort of law or restriction or statute about human trafficking? I don't know, I keep meaning to look into it a little further. :-) Well, was the morning after everything you thought it'd be? I hope so.

SoDa.PoP9: It is a bit hopeless, it would seem. The Kane's are so powerful. Hopefully, V can keep them away from her son. You know that Celeste would love to have control over her son's child. Unfortunately, that could hurt Duncan's chance of becoming President one day!

LoVeElle: I'm glad you saw the real Logan coming out. Like I've said before, the first little bit of this fic has seen an abnormal Logan. He's been like a fish out of water. We've now seen some of our Logan begin to return and we will definitely be seeing more of our snark-ster. I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for the great review.

Christinamarie712: You know, I think that if the baby is Duncan's, V will definitely need to be prepared for full-force Kane power. I can't remember when exactly, but we will hear a little more from Duncan in a couple of chapters. We'll hear more of what is going on in his head. Glad you liked the interaction between L and BK. Thanks for the review!

Jenn6891:Glad you liked it. I thought it was pretty funny!

LoVefan4ever: Thank you, thank you, thank you. Well, we will be hearing from Duncan coming up shortly, we'll be getting to see more of Logan and BK and we'll be getting to see Logan interacting with both V and D and trying to navigate his way through those respective relationships. As for real resolution to all of the paternity questions, it's going to be awhile yet. So, anyway, yes, shirtless Logan, cuddling LoVe...can't be all bad, can it? :-) Hope you liked the morning after.

Maiqu: I'm glad that you like Logan here. Logan is my absolute fav character in the VM universe...including VM herself. So, if I write a fic where the readers don't like him, I'm doing something severely wrong!! Lol

Nicole Therese: Thanks! I really think that Logan has experienced enough in his young years to realize just how serious this all is. I can see someone who hadn't gone through as much as he has not realizing the gravity of the situation. But, hey, that's one of the many reasons we love our Logan!

enchantedlight: Thanks! Hope you liked this update!

vmarslovahhh18: You are a girl after my own heart. As I've said before, some of my fav stories are the ones where L/V go from hate to LoVe in 2.2 seconds...BUT, I really feel like you have to suspend some reality (in the tv world) in order to truly buy into those fics. Anyway, I think that given the chance, Logan would be as fiercely protective of his children as he is of his close friends.

SoManyObsessions: Oh, I know. I couldn't help it. Logan can be a bit on the confident side, shall we say. So, as much as I love him, I also don't mind him being taken down a peg or two by a newborn. Heeheehee

wobbielogan: Hey, I've gotten a few calls for Logan to be the daddy however possible, but also a few for immaculate conception...I'm weighing my options. :-)

I like to believe that V went into a bit of protection mode where her unborn child was concerned. Yes, he was born out of an evil act, but that was even more of a reason for her to protect him from Neptune and all the other evils in the world (AKA, the Kane's). I also think that it helps that she didn't know who had raped her. She didn't have anyone's face in mind or any sort of experience in mind attached to her child. Only the arms length knowledge that she had been raped, but not the actual experience memory. Make sense.

Well, very spoiled, spoiled brat (your words, not mine), you may...or may not...be happy in the end. HAHAHAHAHA...you'll just have to wait and see. Now, see that's the sadistic, obsessive-compulsive, control freak side of me coming out. So, spoiled brat, meet sadistic, controlling, ocd girl. Lovely. Lol

You are right about V needing protection against the Kane's, if the baby is a Kane. _"possible" heir to their demented throne_. I loved how you said that!! It's such a great description.

So happy to be of torture to you. Thanks for the great review and the longest reply you've ever left for someone. I really do appreciate and love hearing how you react to different aspects of the fic. Hopefully, the morning after was good for you, too.

LostnStarsHollow: I love that I made you laugh out loud. I thought the scene was funny in my head, so it's nice to hear someone else thought so, too. Then, to take you from laughing to heavy-chest dread-like feeling and "aw" is just great. I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter. I hope the morning after stirred something in you too! Thanks!

PlasmaBall: I'm glad you are liking the build-up to LoVe. I loved the S1 morph from hate to LoVe. They didn't just jump into the sack together, it took time. And, I too, love the idea of 'daddy'Logan. Of course, I'm a pretty big fan of any Logan. :-) Thanks for the review!

Frost Merry Darkness Luver: thanks so much. Hope you enjoyed the 'morning after'.

xosummerxo: You know, I loved the daily updates on DL also. The problem is that I had 43 of the 47 chapters of DL written prior to beginning to update. I am quickly approaching the end of what I have written (lots in the brain and on my timeline, not a lot actually written), so I'm hoping that I will be able to keep up with the weekly updates.

Now, wait. Are you saying you want D to marry V so they can be a family? I wasn't sure if I understood that or not. Anyway, thanks for the review. You know I love hearing from you! See ya next week.

GlitterFairyPrincess: I love that you are loving the fic. Oh, I have so many plans for this thing. It has all played out in my mind and I wish it would hurry up and arrive on the computer screen!! I love your idea for immaculate conception. Truly, got to be a contender. Really, one of the more original ideas! Everyone else is just so predictable, Duncan, Cassidy, Logan...someone else. Not you, girl! :-) I'll get to working on that idea.

carito2p: Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are too kind. Hmmm...crucify Duncan? Well, there is another original little morsel I hadn't considered. Lol. Oh, maybe you aren't speaking literally. Cross, crown of thorns, nails, anyone? I must say that you are one of the many who would like some magic to cause Logan to be the father. Well, although I can't divulge the paternity of anyone right now, let's just hope that I can truly do justice to the magic that is LoVe. Thanks so much. And, of course, you know my answer to helping you with your fic...although, I haven't heard back from you in awhile. Hmmmm?

scarlett2u: I'm glad you really found the humor in the situation. I liked the part where he just threw away the pair of sock that BK had stuck in the diaper. To me, it's such a Logan/teenage boy thing to do. Heck, I wouldn't doubt if I had done that at least once between all of my kids! And, yes, I love that Logan got so cocky with a newborn. Every time you think you've got the upper hand on them, they take you down. The amazing thing to me, is that it is just so easy for them. Ok, so this chapter, they were both awake...what did you think? Thanks so much for the review. I loved hearing from you! BTW, from what I understand 40 is the new 30? Right? I sure hope so because 40 used to seem so old...didn't it. Amazing how the closer you get to a number, the younger it seems...especially considering how quickly time flies. Anyway, your welcome for the encouragement. I have to say that even after DL and now what 7 chapters into PHR, I'm still waiting for the mob to boo me off the stage (so to speak). I'm shocked every time I get a review, that people are actually interested in the fic. I've just stuck to things that I've wanted to see...after letting my mind wander into VM land, then I've lobbed that stuff out to everyone else, hoping I wouldn't have to duck from the tomatoes. I will tell you, the whole anonymity thing...tremendous help! Looking forward to the fruition of your fresh start and wake-up call. Thanks!!


	8. Chapter 8

Pan High Rules

Chapter 8

A/N: Hope you like this chapter. REVIEWERS: FYI, I haven't decided yet, but I may forgo the replies to the reviews or try to cut back for a couple of chapters so that I can focus on producing the actual fic a little more. I've got a time line and a ton of ideas, but only 2? more actual chapters written. So...as much as I love conversing with you...I know that you'd probably rather the updates. I'm hoping to just dive in to writing and not come up for about a week in order to get myself caught up. We'll see. Doesn't mean I don't need to hear from you, though. I absolutely need to know how I'm doing. Thanks!!

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By the time Veronica arrived home that afternoon, she'd ignored three more of Duncan's calls since lunch. He was leaving her voice-mails constantly. After picking her son up from the babysitter, Sarah, a young, pregnant woman who lived above them, she got him settled at home. For the first time in months, it seemed that she was truly rattled. There was no other way to explain it. She was scared, terrified really, that something was going to happen to her son.

Since she'd left Neptune High and begun her new life at Pan, she hadn't had any reason to worry. She had found a peace in her newly-acquired long-term outlook at life. Everything became about the child that grew inside her and all other concerns melted away. Whether her classmates gossiped about her pregnancy, whether they liked her or not, whether she had a boyfriend who loved her; all seemed too minimal for words. Although Veronica was pleasantly surprised by the friends she'd found, she knew that, in the end it was about her and her son. Even her father, who was a constant force in her life and a tremendous help to her would not be able to be with her every step of the way. Eventually, she would be her son's sole-provider, his sole-protector.

The only worry she'd had since leaving Neptune High had been in the weeks leading up to her son's birth. The unknown of what she would experience during labor scared the crap out of her. Logically, she knew that millions of women experienced child birth all over the globe. Emotionally, she was scared out of her mind. She'd told herself that if she could make it through the labor aspect, everything else would be okay. Maybe not easy, but manageable. The encounter with Duncan the previous day proved to her how wrong she had been.

Veronica wanted to blame Logan for telling Duncan about her son, and she did a little bit. The one major flaw in her line of thinking was that he had no idea that Duncan was the father. Veronica didn't even know, how could she expect Logan to know? The fact that he would tell Duncan, his best friend, Veronica's ex, and the third member of the remaining Fab Four about her pregnancy, was not surprising. Had she been in his shoes, she probably would have done the same thing.

Had Veronica known that there was a possibility of Duncan being her son's father, she never would have told Logan the details of his birth. She would have tried to keep it from him for longer and then she would have fudged some of the timing so that no one could suspect Duncan as the father.

Unfortunately, Veronica wasn't privy to the possibility that Duncan could be the father. She'd had no idea of the possible hell that had awaited her. The possibility that her ex-boyfriend, the boy that she thought of as the love of her life, would sleep with her while she was so drugged had not crossed her mind. The possibility that he could be her brother? That was an idea beyond her reality. How could she have even considered the situation that she'd now found herself in?

These thoughts raced through her as she paced around her apartment, stopping every little bit to clean or straighten where needed. She just couldn't keep still and she regretted the moment that the familiar feeling of anxiety returned into her life.

Thinking of the horrible effects the new revelation could have on her and her son made her sick. She was on the verge of tears, when someone knocked on her door. She froze, knowing that Duncan had probably decided it was best to confront her in person. Veronica was kicking herself for not picking up any of his calls. It was much easier to put him off, make excuses and not let him anywhere near Baby Keith if they communicated by phone.

As Veronica crept toward the door as silently as she could, she thanked her lucky stars that she had not turned on the television or any music. If she were quiet enough, he might actually believe that no one was home.

What Veronica saw when she peeked through the blinds was not what she'd expected. As she opened the door slowly, she still could not contain her apprehension. Her face was flushed and her hands bore a slight tremor.

"Hey," Logan's voice seemed a bit too upbeat. It sounded as if he were talking to a buddy who had been expecting him.

"Hey," Veronica replied somewhat cautiously. Her eyes darting to the side, expecting Duncan to pop out from the side, like Logan had done the day prior.

"Hey."

'Okay, obviously he's a little nervous, too. Either that or he's just completely lost the ability to carry on an intelligent conversation.' Veronica giggled inside herself. Then, she realized that she had no idea of what to say next, either.

"Uh, did you want to come in?" Veronica stepped back and opened the door further, unsure if she should have offered. Still uncertain as to Logan's motives, she found herself suddenly timid around him again. She hated it.

She watched as Logan silently accepted her offer with a nod and stepped through the threshold and into her apartment for the second time in as many days. They were both uncomfortable, neither knowing what to say.

Veronica couldn't stand the long stretch of silence that they seemed to be caught in. Luckily, she had the upper hand. HE had shown up on her doorstep. HE had come to find her. Why? Well, she would just ask him.

"So, Logan...did you need something?" Veronica didn't know what she should say. 'What are you doing here? Are you here to spy on me for Duncan? Try to find out if I'm working on getting the paternity tests I promised him? Try to convince me to work with Duncan? Or maybe let Duncan spend time with Baby Keith? Share custody with Duncan?!'

Veronica knew she was getting way ahead of herself and making herself crazy before Logan had even spoken more than one word to her. She tried to calm down. She donned a polite smile and looked to him for his answer.

"I, uh, yeah, I. Well, so I, um, was just wondering how you...uh, you and Baby K-Keith were doing?" Apparently, Logan hadn't really expected to have to speak to Veronica, let alone answer the question of why he was in her apartment. Veronica would have found it all too amusing if her stomach hadn't been doing somersaults.

"Oh," she said flatly. She hadn't really expected that answer, but knew that he was probably just starting out a light conversation before he delved into why he was really there. "Uh, we're doing okay."

"Good," Logan nodded his head slowly. He was looking all around the room, avoiding her confused gaze. When he didn't continue speaking, Veronica thought that she was going to have to pull it out of him. What 'it' was, she didn't know, but the situation was just too crazy and she had to figure out a way to get out of it.

"Logan," she started slowly and deliberately, hoping that he would snap out of it.

"So, uh, are you guys busy this afternoon?"

'Busy? What does he mean by busy? Why does he want to know? I have no idea, but I know I don't like where this conversation is going.'

"Well, a little. We've got to walk Backup and get dinner ready. Of course, I didn't get much of a chance for homework last night, so I've got some things to catch up on." Although having a baby did automatically add about fifty interruptions to her day, she also felt like she needed to emphasize that she did have a list of to-do's. If she'd told him that she was just planning on hanging around the apartment, she might have gotten herself into a corner of being free enough to deal with the paternity issue. She didn't want to leave herself open to that.

"Oh, yeah. That makes sense." He nodded again before continuing. "Well, I'll take Backup out and you can get started on your assignments. I'll order some food to be delivered in a couple of hours, too. That way you don't have to stop to make dinner. What are you in the mood for?"

"What?" It wasn't that she hadn't heard him, it was more like he was speaking a foreign language that she couldn't understand. She'd caught the words, but had no idea of what they meant.

"What kind of food are you hungry for? What should I call for?" Veronica watched his expression and all she saw was sincerity. She was completely perplexed by Logan's actions. She questioned his motives, but couldn't deny the sincerity behind his eyes.

"Ver-on-i-ca?" Logan knew that she was probably fighting a war within herself. They hadn't just hung out since before Lilly died, and he knew that she was trying to figure out what was going on with him. He hadn't asked her if he could take the dog for a walk, he'd just told her he would. It was his hope that she wouldn't turn him down if he just informed her of his plans instead of asking permission.

"No, Logan, that's not necessary. Don't you have things you need to do?"

"Sure, after I'm done with Backup, I'll catch up on my homework, too." He chuckled. "Might actually do it with someone else looking over my shoulder. So, what will it be? What's your fancy?"

Veronica just looked at him for a moment. She didn't know what she should do. Logan Echolls had just invited himself into her life for the afternoon and she didn't know how to get out of it. If he was there on Duncan's behalf, then she needed to seem at ease, like she wasn't avoiding getting the paternity tests done. The more uncomfortable she felt, the more her sincerity toward Duncan would be questioned.

"Thai?" She'd made the decision. She was going to let Logan babysit her. Hopefully he would see how busy she was between homework and taking care of her newborn. Then, he could put Duncan at ease by letting him know that she's just extremely busy and not avoiding him.

"Thai? Mmm. Sounds good. I haven't had Thai in forever." He smiled softly at her, remembering that it'd been since before Lilly died. The last time he'd eaten Thai food was with Veronica, when they were friends. It wasn't that he didn't like the food or that he'd been trying to avoid Thai, he just never really thought about it unless she brought it up. It wasn't his favorite, but he liked it enough. He knew though, that Veronica had a soft spot for it. Should I order something for your dad, too?"

"No, he won't be home for another day or two. He's chasing a bail jumper in Mexico. Oh, but could you stick to a mild dish for me? If it's too spicy, Baby Keith gets an upset stomach."

Logan's brow scrunched up. "The baby gets an upset stomach because of your food?"

"Yeah, he gets what I eat through breast milk. There are certain things that just don't translate well for him. I can't even go near lasagne because he'll be up all night!"

"Wow! Are you going to be okay? Will you make it?" Logan was teasing her because he knew of her love for spicy foods. They both laughed at his antics.

"Yeah, believe me. I was heartbroken when I found out that he didn't share my love of spice." Then, without thinking, she'd let her guard down a little too much. "Apparently his daddy has a weak stomach."

Woah! That was a show-stopper. The laughter stopped and discomfort blanketed the room instantly. Veronica could have kicked herself for being so stupid and bringing up Duncan. Before she could say anything, Logan tried to lighten up the mood.

"Well, does he at least let you eat ice cream? I'd be afraid for your health if you had to lay off of the Mudslide." Logan knew her love of ice cream, especially Tillamook Mudslide ice cream.

"Actually, I thought that he would have adverse reactions to it. A lot of mother's I've talked to have told me that they couldn't eat chocolate at all because it was so bad on their newborns. I don't know, I think I've decided that I was able to wean him onto chocolate during my pregnancy. I didn't stop eating chocolate while I was pregnant, so he must have built up an immunity." She smirked and raised an eyebrow like she had discovered some long lost treasure.

Logan laughed at that. "You should write a book or something. I can see it now."

He stretched out his arms as he announced the title, "How to Build a Life-Long Love for Chocolate in Your Unborn Child."

"That's not a bad idea! Look at Jenny McCarthy. She made tons of money off of her books about the realities of pregnancy and the first year. People really like when you get to the nitty-gritty and discuss the things that they really want to know. Considering that most breast-feeding moms nurse for anywhere from six to eighteen months, that's a long time to give up your favorite foods." Veronica squinted her eyes and put her hand on her chin like she was really considering the possibilities.

"Well, first things first, Jenny. You need to graduate from high school. Then, you can worry about becoming the next Pulitzer Prize Winner. So, sit, do homework. I'll be back in a few minutes with a newly relieved mutt."

"Hey, now. Backup is no mutt," Veronica complained as she grabbed Backup's leash and he came bounding toward her. She bent down and whispered loud enough for Logan to hear. "Listen Backup, if Logan gets out of line, just give him a little bite in the butt. He'll straighten up for you."

"Woah, woah. That's precious cargo you're talking about now. Watch yourself." He grabbed the leash and started out the front door. As the door was closing, Veronica heard Logan begin a conversation with her dog. "Now, listen up Backup. We're going to walk a little, chat a little. We'll be like Turner and Hooch before you know it. What was that?..."

Veronica just shook her head at him. She had no idea what was going on, but it was difficult to not be amused by Logan's playfulness.

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When Logan returned, Veronica was hard at work on her homework and her son was sleeping peacefully. He sat down next to her on the couch and pulled out his homework. If he'd been watching her, he would have seen Veronica's mouth gaping open at his actions. She thought that he'd been joking about catching up on his homework. How was she supposed to concentrate when he was sitting just a couple of feet from her, dutifully doing his homework?

Luckily she found a way. By the time the food was delivered, they'd both been able to catch up on their immediate assignments and even got to do a little bit of work on some larger projects they had.

"You know, we may have to do this all the time. I don't know when I've ever gotten so much work done in such a short amount of time," Logan said as he picked up the baby who had woken and was ready to eat. Veronica was getting plates out and dishing up their food. She just let out a tense chuckle.

Logan walked around the apartment with Baby Keith, trying to keep him calm until Veronica was ready to feed him. As he walked, he looked at the pictures hanging on the walls. There were a lot of Veronica growing up, but there was also an entire section that had been taken over by pictures of the baby. There were pictures of him in the hospital, of him getting a bath, of him and Grandpa Keith. They were really good.

"Did you take these pictures?" He asked Veronica as she continued her work in the kitchen.

"Uh, yeah." She shrugged. "We don't really have a lot of extra money for me to take him to a professional photographer so I've just taken as many as I could." He could tell that she was somewhat embarrassed and disappointed that she hadn't been able to get professional pictures of her son.

He wanted to put her at ease. He was all too aware that parents could provide everything money could buy a child, yet still not provide what that child truly needed. He had been so impressed by Veronica thus far. Yes, she lived in a small, run-down apartment that anyone in the 09er district would have balked at. What she lacked in funds for fancy provisions though, she more than made up for through her love and care. She had no reason to feel ashamed.

"Who needs a professional when you've got talent like this on hand," he said as he motioned to the pictures. "Besides, this way you get all of the really intimate moments, like this one of bath time."

"Thanks," Veronica replied softly. If Logan had been watching her carefully, he would have seen her wipe away the lone tear that had run down her cheek. She rolled her eyes at herself. 'Ugh! Stupid hormones! One sweet comment from Logan Echolls and I'm crying.'

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Logan was right about the studying. Even Veronica had been able to zone in on her work. Lately, she'd found it difficult to concentrate on her school work because there was always something else to do. The dog needed to be walked, the laundry needed to be done and dinner needed to be tended to. She felt like a housewife, only she wasn't. She was a mother and she just needed to keep up on the mounting chores. It made her laugh that one little baby could double the laundry load of two adults.

Even when there weren't any pressing chores, Veronica was exhausted and would easily fall into a nap right along with her son. Other times, she would just want to sit and watch him or hold him. He was still this amazing thing to her. So small and adorable. So reliant on her for his every need, yet larger than life. He smelled so good and made the cutest faces and sounds. He was all-consuming. It was easy to be distracted from her studies.

Having Logan next to her gave her renewed focus. She knew that if she stopped doing her homework, he would stop also. That would leave them open to conversations she wasn't too keen on having. It was excellent motivation to keep her focused and working on her homework.

Logan watched in amazement as Veronica set herself up on the couch with a t.v. tray. She held the baby in one arm while he fed and she fed herself with her other hand. He didn't mean to stare, but he couldn't help it. That was his definition of multi-tasking.

"What?" Logan looked up to see her staring back at him. 'Uh-oh, I've just been caught staring at her while she's nursing. Way to go, Logan!'

"Sorry, Veronica. I didn't mean to stare. I've just never seen anyone multi-task quite like that." The blush that had colored his cheeks made her lighten up a little.

"Hey, if I ate around his schedule, I'd never taste another hot meal again!" They laughed. "It's really not that difficult, if you don't mind the occasional drip on him."

"You drop food on your son?" Veronica may have taken offense to the comment if Logan hadn't been laughing the whole time.

"Hey, it's not much and it's not like I cover his face in my food. Every once in a while, I just accidentally drop a piece of food on his clothes or something." Logan shook his head as he continued to chuckle.

"Don't worry, little man. When your mommy is telling stories about how messy of an eater you are, I'll remember this. I won't let her put all the blame on you," Logan rubbed the back of Baby Keith's hand as he spoke.

"Could you grab the remote, though? As capable as I am, I just don't have that third hand available for the t.v.," Veronica said, pushing aside the thought that Logan made it sound like he planned to be around to defend her son in the future.

"No problem. What do you want to watch?" Logan said as he moved to turn on the television.

"Whatever you want. I don't really care. We don't get a lot of channels, there may not be a lot to choose from." Veronica really didn't care what they watched. She just knew that they needed something to focus on besides each other. Another way to avoid talking to Logan was all she was looking for.

"Ok. Why don't we watch a movie? You still really like South Park?" Veronica just nodded her head. She couldn't believe that he'd admitted remembering the things they enjoyed when they used to be friends.

"It's a classic," she added lamely when she noticed that he had seen the surprise written across her features.

"Whatever you say, Mars. Let's just watch this classic of yours, shall we? Where do you keep your dvd's?"

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Veronica and Logan had finished eating and had even enjoyed some laughs during the movie. Logan had finished eating first and had even taken the baby and burped him while Veronica continued to eat. She had to keep reminding herself that she was sitting with Logan Echolls, best friend to Duncan Kane. The same Duncan Kane who was her son's father and her possible half brother.

That reminder kept things in perspective. When she laughed too easily with him, she would remind herself. When she found herself appreciating the help Logan offered her with the baby, she reminded herself. When he cleaned up the dishes for her and took out the garbage, she reminded herself. When she began to feel at ease with him, she again reminded herself. And, when she allowed herself to think of how nice it was to sit with him after so long and; having someone there to share in some of her responsibilities for just one evening, she reminded herself.

Veronica could not allow herself to let her guard down with Logan. As kind as he was being, she knew how devious he could be and that he would use that for Duncan's advantage. Even after all of the reminders, she still found herself dreading walking him to the door at the end of the night. Surprisingly, she didn't want him to leave. She'd found comfort in his presence and in his company.

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About fifteen minutes after Logan left, Veronica's cell phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, she realized that Duncan had not called her once while Logan was with her. Now, after he'd left and had enough time to call Duncan with an update, she was receiving another call. She allowed it to go to voice mail, a little disappointed that she hadn't seemed to remind herself enough.

She wasn't angry with Logan. She would've done the same thing, had she been in his position. After all, she had reported back to Lilly, when Logan kissed Yolanda. It was what best friends did. They looked out for each other's interest. She couldn't fault Logan for doing so, but she couldn't help the regret that lie heavily on her chest either.

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REVIEWERS:

Beccakell13: Well, I'm glad you enjoyed the bed scene. I really had to do some research for that. :-) I had to put myself in her position in order to figure out which limb would go where and what movements needed to happen when. I'm glad you liked it. Yes, our Logan did the right thing in protecting V with Duncan. I'm so proud. You know, I give him suggestions all of the time, he just doesn't always listen to me. Thanks!!

LoVeElle: I'm glad that you got such a laugh out of the bed scene. I thought it was funny as I wrote it and pictured it in my head, but you just never know if what you're picturing will truly come across in the writing. The fact that you enjoyed it, makes me happy. I'm glad you are enjoying the progression that the relationship is taking. As for the paternity test, well hang on to your hat. It's going to be a bit of a ride before she "sucks it up" and we find out if he's the baby daddy. We've still got to find out if D/V are related first. Hmmm...as for Friday, I think you're right to be concerned. I just don't think it's for the reason you think it is. Hmm...lol. Thanks!!

wobbielogan: Okay, can I just say WOW! Lol What a review. You know I loved it. There was sooo much in it. Don't worry about me taking offense. I'm a fic fan, first and foremost. I know how I love fics that I can really get in to and that get my mind wandering to the possibilities. The fact that my fic has brought out such strong opinions and ideas is great. It means that you're invested and those end up being my fav fics. As for how they all fit onto the small bed, you're probably right. Let's just assume that it's because Logan and V were pressed so close together. Hee hee hee. Also, I did say that there was a small space next to him that her foot was able to fit, but you know you're probably right. Just suspend reality for me when you read that part, okay? wink wink. As for V allowing L to stay in the bed, I figured I had covered that with her internal dialogue about being happy to have someone to share her middle-of-the-night with. Someone was making her feel a little less lonely because as many friends as she has and as great as her dad is, she really knows that she is solely responsible for BK. That fact is never more clear than during the middle of the night when no one else is there with her. Although it was Logan and they've had a difficult year, this was also Logan, close friend of her past...boy who had come through like a knight in shining armor during her confrontation with D. I kind of looked at that night as a "timeout" of sorts. Like with any stressful situation; being locked in an elevator, being in a natural disaster, going through rehab, two or more victims of violent or hostile crimes, this night was a time when both of them did and said things they wouldn't normally have. It also gave them the chance to think in a different way, if only for the night. It's like when you go to summer camp when you're younger. You fall in love with some guy you normally wouldn't date or get the chance to date. Everything's great for the time you are there and maybe a week or two later when everything goes back to normal. Does that make sense? The difference here is that it doesn't seem as if Logan is going to let things go back to normal. Oh, and your Duncan hate-meter is probably going to do some spiking before he's "put out to pasture" and on to the LoVe. Hangeth thou in there! :-) It'll be okay, just breathe. And, I may just use your one-liner. In fact, I think I even know where it could go...hmmmm... Don't ever think that I would want anything less out of your reviews. It's great. But, wait!! You're the one who has Logan? I've been asking for him for Christmas for like 4 years. Now I know who's been hoarding him. Thanks a lot!

firebirdgirl: Thank you. I'm glad you loved the bedroom scene. Although, I know it's going to be a slow go for the LoVe, doesn't mean I can't throw something fun in there every once in a while. And, yeah, I really think that Logan truly understands and has more depth than he's given credit for most of the time. He absolutely understands that her world has been turned upside down and that a little bit of breathing time is totally understandable.

jessica729: You may not be a mom yet, but it sounds like you've definitely spent some time with those nieces and nephews. That's great! I'm glad you got a kick out of the chapter.

Twin-of-a-Killer: ok, gotta ask. What's with the screen name? Is it a show-related thing or are you really the twin of a killer? I used to be friends with a guy who ended up being a murderer. My husband and I spend countless dinners with him and his family. Needless to say, it was a bit odd when we found out about what he'd done. Anyway, way off topic!! Thanks for the review. I hope you continue to enjoy it.

Maiqu: Absolutely! Have you been watching Moonlight? The new epis are back on. Maybe it's just me and my wishful thinking, but it seems like he really is starting to work himself into more screen time, like he did on VM. I love his character, because he's absolutely how I would imagine a grown-up Logan (minus the whole being a vampire thing). Lol Anyway, between the epi where he had the old girlfriend and this last epi where he was brought into more of the action with Mick and Beth, I totally think he's getting more screen time than he used to have. Okay, sure how you watch the show or you won't care about any of this. Anyway, thanks!

TwinkleTot69: Okay, so I haven't heard from you before. WELCOME!! It's nice to meet you in a cyber kind of a way. Now, since you're new, I will answer your question...only this one time, though, and don't tell anyone else. XXXXX XX XXXXX XX XXXXXXX X XXXX X XXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXX XX XX'X XXXXXX. I think it'll be really cool. Anyway, glad you're enjoying it!

LostnStarsHollow: Ok, so by awkward...do you mean like it didn't really fit in the fic or like oh poor L and V in that awkward situation? I ask because a few people said that it was awkward and I'm hoping that it was just a comment about what V and L went through. On the other hand, I want to hear the truth, so it's okay if it's the other. I'm glad you liked the Hallmark thing. That was something I threw in there in one of my last read-throughs. Hmm...Disney Duncan? Lol

vmarslovahhh18: Yeah, I'm trying to make sure I keep V's friendships up in a way that the reader can see them. We'll see Mac and V interact shortly. You can't blame me though if I get focused on L/V sometimes. It just can't be helped. Lol I'm glad you got a laugh at our poor Logan's expense. :-)

Isilady: Veronica is not a Kane...that's what you wanted to hear, right? (smirking). Anyway, I'm glad you got a laugh out of the morning after. So did I.

GlitterFairyPrincess: I'm so glad you could picture the bed scene. I feel best about scene I write and read when I can picture them. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You just never know what kind of crazy things will come out of my head!! I don't think I'm going to approach the bus crash issue. It would just be too much for me to deal with along with everything else I've got planned. And, yeah, don't think I'll go the immaculate conception route, but I thought it was quite original (you know, besides the actual original Mary/Jesus thing) lol.

ParadiseLost23: I'm glad you're enjoying the fic. I really am enjoying it, too. I mean, I'm not producing as quickly as I'd like to, but I like writing it and I like reading over what I've got so far.

RogueAvril: Wow-wee! Thanks for the great review. Yeah, you know, things may have changed a bit from when I was a teen, I just can't imagine they've changed so much to think that this teen boy has full and utter control. I'm so glad you are seeing what they are going through. This isn't easy for them. After everything they've been through, friendship and hatred, there really is no road map for them here. They've got to just stumble their way through it, I think.

christykq: I'm glad the story is getting better with age. :-) If you think D is creepy now, then...

Anywho...I will mark you down as one for immaculate magic (that's what I think I'll call it). I really do love when readers get the humor I'm trying to convey, that I see in my head. I'm glad you got a good laugh out of it. I know where you're coming from with Wallace. We like that they are bff, but I also agree with you regarding Logan. In my mind, if LoVe is what we ultimately strive for, we have to sacrifice a little on the bff front. There have to be links other than pure romance that Logan and V share that Wallace just isn't a part of. Not that they still can't be bff's, but it just can't be the same. Anyway, thanks so much.

Jenn6891: I'm so glad you liked it. I love knowing that I've made people laugh. Although, I also love knowing that I can pull tears out of 'em. Hmmm...will have to work on that one! :-)

maipigen: Thanks!! So glad to have you for 'the long haul' (hahahaha). Oh, I can't remember now which reader said something like that to me and then got the creep knowing she had referenced Aaron's The Long Haul'. Too funny!! Oh, btw, I'll just try to stop driving all together. Hey, maybe if I become a hermit, I'll get more writing on my fic done. Whatcha think?

Bean0505: Yep, I'm a sucker for the LoVe. Scenes like the wake-up are my way of giving myself a little treat while I'm waiting for the reality of their relationship to catch up with the dream I have of their relationship. Make sense? Anyway, thanks!!

Christinamarie712: hmmm, ok, so bad awkward? Was it awkward in the fic or awkward for the characters? Hopefully it fit okay in the fic, but a couple of people made the awkward comment, so I wasn't sure. Anyway, yes, I think it would be very sweet to have them sleeping together as a family, albeit maybe in a bit of a larger bed. :-) As for Duncan telling his parents...well, I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. And really, you seem so nice, so let's just err on the side of caution, shall we? Lol Thanks!!

Vmfan387: Now, really, one of the best compliments I could receive. The fact that you almost lost bladder control is like music to my ears. Heeheehee. Yeah, poor Logan has been thrown into this odd world of caring (although, we know he's an extremely caring guy). Sorry about the paternity wait. It really will be a while before we know. We first have to find out if D/V are related and that isn't going to be a lightning speed. Hang in there!

xosummerxo: Awkward for the fic or awkward for the characters. Hopefully just for the characters. Because, heck, yes it was! And, yes, Logan showed a great deal of maturity by covering for Veronica. No matter what his mixed feelings are about the situation and everyone involved, he truly understands that V needs time to process. Ahhh, that's just one of the many reasons we love him. Thanks for the review!

glamorouspirate: I'm so excited by your enthusiasm. I'm glad you're enjoying it so much and that you got a kick out of the waking up scene. I know a week can seem like a long time to wait for updates, but hopefully they are worth the wait when they finally do come. Thanks!!

Frost Merry Darkness Luver: (_immaculate conception! I like that option better. It gives Logan and Ronnie a reason to be together_). True, but do they really need a reason? Lol Anyway, thanks!!

nightfog: hmmm, now why would D and the Kane's ever worry you? Hmmm... Lol Anyway, we will get to see a little more of D's thoughts on all of this in a couple of chapters. Let's see what you think then. I am glad you got a good laugh at the expense of our poor Logan (and V). It really was funny. In writing it, I had to act it out a little just so I would know which movement needed to come when, so I could make it more real. :-) Let's just say, I'm not as limber as I used to be. Thanks!!

vintage.soul494: Yea!! I love hearing that other people think something is as funny as I thought it was when I wrote it. I do understand the torture of waiting for WIP's. But, at least you can be assured that I'm committed to finishing the fic and being a consistent as reasonable possible with the updates. Thanks so much!

enchantedlight: Why, thank you. (curtsey's)

pennylanex3: Whew! You've got yourself quite the little laundry list for this here fic. Lol. Okay, let me take it one at a time. I've decided to coin the term Immaculate Magic when referring to BK's conception. Duncan needs to calm himself now, huh? Hmmm...well, we'll have to wait and see on that one. Give me a couple of chapters, we'll hear from Duncan again and then you can tell me if that is calm enough for you, k? Hey, I'm glad you laughed out loud at the Hallmark thing. Literally, it was something I threw in there during one of the very last read-throughs. Hey, they are the ones that claim there is a Hallmark for every occasion. Yeah, well, I haven't seen that one yet. Hmmmm...as for telling Wallace what happened. Well, V's feelings on that will be revealed next chapter? This chapter? Hmmmm...don't remember right now. Anyway, I happen to agree with her. As for D not getting custody of BK. Well, let's just say that IF he does, maybe it won't be permanent. I can definitively answer that there will be LoVe. It won't be a quick thing, but I'm too be of a Logan fan and therefore and LoVe fan for there to be no love. As a matter of fact, if I could work Josef into the mix, I'd do it. Maybe as the epilogue, I'll fast-forward 7-10 years and Logan will have been turned into a Vamp, turning V into one, also. That way they could live epically, eternally. Hahahaha. Hey, really, anytime you give me a little hot Josef in a business suit...are you kidding me? Really all I need. :-) Anyway, thanks for the great review. I love when people detail their feelings on the chapter. It so useful to know what people were thinking in regard to different aspects of it.

scarlett2u: Yeah, I'm not sure what my thing is right now with putting Logan through the ringer. Maybe I know that I can easily turn him into a completely no-fault hero, so I'm being careful. I like the idea of the beginning where Logan is just really sent into an alternate universe with V popular and him not as much. Then, the wake-up call was just too good to pass up. Hee hee hee.

Ok, side note. I don't know if you happen to watch The Deadliest Catch on The Discovery Channel. Anyway, there is a guy on there, on of the Time Bandit brothers, Jonathan. Anyway, he's got one of the best laughs. It's just so evil, and you know he's REALLY laughing. Anyway, that's the laugh I hear in my head when I read your comments...including that Logan is going to need his snark and confidence back to survive whatever I have in store for him next. Lol. Yeah, I know. I'm beating up on the guy a bit, but you gotta know he's going to come off smelling like roses, (or like Drakkar for those of us still stuck on that smell...me included) by the time I'm done with him. Of course, I think the guy's totally great when he's got fangs and is gnawing on somebody's flesh, so really...I may not be the best judge here.

Ok, I'm really wondering if there is a way to work this into my fic: _a certain knight in stained undies. _I mean, that's just priceless!

Yeah, V's struggling now. She thought she had everything under control. Her life was just as she wanted it to be (in the circumstance), but this new twist has really thrown her. So, I guess turnabout is fair play. First Logan's world was turned upside down, now it's V's turn. I think she's really going to struggle with her confidence a little. She won't have the confidence she had before the paternity reveal, when she felt like no one could really hurt her because her focus was on the long-term. She won't have the attitude she had S1 canon, because she still isn't quite in the same position she was. After all, she is still the most popular girl in school. On the other hand, she won't completely be back to canon pre-series pink V, who can't really stand up for herself. It should be an interesting journey for everyone. I'm glad you liked the Keith/V part, too. I'd forgotten that was in there because there's been so much focus on the morning after. I'm glad you felt the heartbreak, though. I really wanted their despair to come across. V's, not only for what she was actually going through, but then having to tell her father. Causing the disappointment, hurt and anger on his part (not all directed at her, of course). Then, for K whose baby girl was violated and whose life would change drastically, while he can do nothing to spare her the pain. He felt utterly helpless, very difficult for a parent, a father and a man who is used to being Sheriff and righting the wrongs (so to speak).

Oh, and thank you a great deal for the Hallmark. It was really thoughtful, humorous and highly creative. Who knew? There really is a Hallmark for all occasions! :-) And, I'll keep an eye out for those chasing fans! Thanks so much.


	9. Chapter 9

Pan High Rules

Chapter 9

A/N: okay, so I didn't get to the review replies this week. I'm to the point where I'm currently working on the next chapter and that makes me nervous. I don't like being so behind. It shouldn't take me long to finish up the next chapter once I get past the internal battle I'm having regarding one of the characters and his/her behavior. Anyway, I've got a question. HELP! Since I'm not as young as I used to be (even then, I don't think I was that young), I need help with verbiage on something. Is it cool? Hip? Rad (now I'm really reaching)? playa? What's the new word for that? Lol. Thanks! And, thank you to the reviewers. You have no idea how much you all motivate me and how much I miss being able to communicate back to you. The replies will return, but I need to get my rear in gear first and get us some chapters ahead. THANKS!!

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Veronica awoke with new resolve on Wednesday morning. She knew that she wasn't alone and that there were people she could rely on. She just had to remember that Duncan's best friend was not at the top of that list. He was loyal to Duncan and any involvement he had with her was out of his desire to aide Duncan.

Although Logan was not an option for Veronica, her father still was. She would always be able to rely on him and he was the only one, besides Logan, who knew the whole story. At least, he knew the whole story up until Duncan's revelations. She expected him to be home by the time she got out of school and she was anxious to speak to him. She needed the comfort and safety that only her daddy could provide.

Veronica had thought a lot about what she would tell her father. She'd finally decided that she would tell him everything about Duncan on the night of Shelly's party, but nothing about the possibility of her being a Kane. If at all possible, she hoped to spare him that pain. After all, Veronica would be the first person to see the results of her paternity tests. If she truly was a Kane, she would have time to tell her father and formulate a plan before the Kane's even found out.

By the time she reached school that morning, Veronica knew exactly what she needed to do. She needed to cut Logan out of her life. Not that she could be outright rude to him without the possibility of him retaliating against her. And unfortunately, she knew he had plenty of ammunition to use against her now. No, she just needed to make sure she wasn't available to him.

The first and most effective step in her plan would be for her to avoid him like the plague. She hated it, though. She hated every minute that she made a decision based on minimizing her contact with Logan. She felt like she was moving backward. It was as if she was going back to that scared and naive girl she was after Lilly died and her friends turned against her. Veronica didn't want to be that person.

She'd spent so long getting her life back. Then, in less than two days, Duncan had destroyed that by giving Logan back the power. Veronica would love to say that she knew Logan would never reveal what she had gone through and the true paternity mess that she and her son were in. Unfortunately, she couldn't say that. She had seen how Logan had taken the secrets she held most sacred, like her mother's drinking, and used them against her. How could she be so certain that he wouldn't do it again?

'I hate this,' Veronica thought as she slipped into the bathroom to avoid Logan. 'I've done a complete one-eighty and now I'm actually hiding from him. I DON'T hide anymore!'

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After school, Veronica walked into the apartment and right into her father's arms. She had planned on being strong and laying the information out for him in a very systematic and succinct manner, recounting the details of her encounter with Duncan. Instead, she collapsed onto him in a heap of tears and tremors. She was really beginning to hate all of this hormonal stuff that went along with having kids. Between the hormones and the exhaustion of sleepless nights, she had little self-control over her tears. It made her feel weak and she really hated that.

"Oh, honey," Keith said as he stroked his daughter's hair. "What's going on? What is it?" Keith had gotten used to his daughter's emotional swings. Between the circumstances she'd been dealt, the hormonal pregnancy and now, the postpartum emotions, he'd seen enough tears out of his daughter to feed the Nile for a year. She could just as easily break down over the fact that she had run out of toilet paper or had seen an especially-touching laundry detergent commercial as she could if she found out the world was coming to an end. It wasn't that he didn't care about her feelings, but tears from his daughter didn't concern him as much as they might have in times past.

"Daddy!" Hearing her own voice made Veronica burst into another round of sobs. She knew that it might very well be one of the last times she could honestly call him daddy.

When she began to settle down, she continued rapidly, "I know who it is. I know who did it. I didn't believe it at first, but he knew...he knew what happened."

"Veronica," Keith said sternly as he lifted her face so he could look into her eyes. He was beginning to get concerned. This breakdown was more than the others he'd witnessed. He knew that there had to be more behind it, but she wasn't making any sense. "Veronica, slow down and tell me what you're talking about. Who are you talking about?"

"The, the f-fa-father," she replied as she tried to catch her breath.

As soon as the words left her lips, Keith's demeanor changed. He was no longer the concerned parent, but the righteous avenger. He had spent so much time after first finding out that Veronica had been violated, hoping that she would remember something useful. Something that would allow him to string somebody up for hurting his amazing baby girl. Over time, though, his hopes began to fade. She never remembered anything more than when she'd first told him about the rape.

Now, though, he could almost smell justice being served against the perpetrator, and he was going to be the one doing the serving. He never expected to hear Duncan's name cross Veronica's lips.

"What!? It was Duncan?" Keith reeled. "What was he thinking? I'm gonna kill that over-privileged, self-involved, Mama's boy..."

"Dad! Wait! Stop! It's not what you think. Apparently, it was consensual." She was admitting that what she thought had been rape was really an act of pre-marital sex. Not something she wanted to be discussing with her ex-Sheriff father.

"What do you mean, apparently it was consensual?" Keith asked her, confused as to her choice of words.

"Well, I still don't remember anything, but Duncan told me everything that happened. I guess I was actually the one who came onto him." Her face flushed a brilliant shade of red. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I know I've disappointed you. I'm so sorry."

"No, Veronica. Don't you think like that. I love you so much." He hugged his daughter. Veronica had spent months believing she'd been raped and he knew from his experience as a cop, how important physical reassurance was for the victim. "Honestly, I probably would have been disappointed if I felt that it truly was fully consensual."

"What?" Veronica's brow drew together. "But, I just told you --"

"I know what you said, Veronica," her father interrupted. "I also know that if you can't remember anything after taking that drink, then you were too drugged to truly and legally give consent for any sort of sexual activity. It may have seemed to him like you were coming on to him, but you were without the ability to reason. Therefore, you were without the ability to give your consent. He had to have seen it, Veronica. I just can't believe that he saw nothing odd about the situation."

"I don't know, but I know that Duncan showed up here yesterday demanding to see Baby Keith. He was wanting to know about HIS baby. Dad, I don't know what I'm going to do. I've stalled him by demanding a paternity test, but I know it's his. I was a virgin.

As soon as the test comes back, he going to demand to see Keith and I won't be able to stop him. What if he wants to share him, Dad? The Kane's will force me to share custody. Or, what if Jake and Celeste want full custody of him. Look at what happened after Lilly's murder. The Kane's will stop at nothing to get what they want and the court system will bend over backwards to keep them happy." Veronica began crying again. "I mean, I can't really see Celeste accepting the fact that her grandchild lives in a run-down, two-bedroom apartment. I'm sure their PR person will be screaming for them to rectify the situation. I can't lose him, Dad. I can't. Not now, after everything we've been through."

"Calm down, Veronica. Look, it'll be okay. We'll figure something out, but for now you need to calm down. My grandson is going to be hungry soon and he'll respond to your emotions. Don't let him feel your fear." He took her in his arms again and rubbed her back comfortingly. "Don't worry. You bought us some time with the paternity test and we'll get something figured out in the meantime.

Now, you said that he was here yesterday? How did he even know about the baby or where we live?"

"Well, to make a long story short, Logan told him and then led him here."

"HE WHAT!" Keith was feeling like he needed to kill all of Veronica's old Neptune High friends. Apparently, even with her nine-month absence, her switching schools and them moving, they were still finding ways to cause problems for her.

"Dad, it really wasn't his fault. He found us yesterday during lunch. He was shocked, to say the least. He just needed to talk to a friend, to tell someone who knew me back then. He truly didn't know what would happen. He was just as shocked as I was when Duncan started yelling and demanding to see HIS baby. Actually, Logan really came through for us yesterday. He kept Duncan away from us and then took Keith into the other room while I talked things out with Duncan. I really don't know what I would have done if he hadn't been here."

"Hm," was the only reply that came from her father. Logically, he understood what Veronica was saying, but he still couldn't get over all of the trouble the boy had caused for her after Lilly died. Because he could tell how grateful Veronica was, he let it go for the time being.

Just then, they heard Baby Keith beginning to cry over the baby monitor. Veronica thought it was funny that they used the monitor with such a small apartment, but it was a gift from one of her classmates and she figured she might as well use it.

"Alright, honey. You go take care of your boy and I'll work on the Kane situation."

"Thanks," Veronica got up to go to her room, but stopped and kissed her father's bald head. "I love you, Dad."

"Love you too, Sweetie."

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That night as she sat in front of her laptop, Veronica knew she couldn't put Duncan off any longer without the risk of him showing up on her doorstep again. If he did, she knew her father was home and could take care of it, but she just didn't want to deal with him any more than she had to. She picked up her phone and dialed a number that she'd called so many times before, but hadn't for so long. Her fingers remembered easily which buttons to push, but her mind fought her the entire way.

"Hello? Veronica?" Veronica cringed at the excitement that laced Duncan's words.

"Uh, yeah, Duncan. It's me."

"Oh, finally! Where have you been? I've been calling and leaving messages for you."

"I know, but I've been really busy. I just got a free minute and wanted to let you know that I ordered the paternity test," she said as she clicked on the 'process order' button highlighted on her computer screen. She figured she wasn't actually lying to him. She didn't specify when she had ordered it, just that she had ordered it.

"Oh, great. Finally. So, what do you need from me? Some of mine and dad's hair?" Veronica could actually feel real hatred forming in her gut for Duncan. That was the second time she had noticed him referring to Jake as 'dad'. Not as his dad, but just dad in general. It made her stomach turn and she wondered how Duncan could let the words slide off of his tongue so easily.

"No, not yet. I ordered the test, but we need to wait for it to come in. Collecting any sort of DNA too early will render it useless." She knew that she was stalling as much as she could, but wanted to sell Duncan on the fact that it was all just procedural and that she was doing everything in her power to get the answers they needed. She continued in her attempts, "If we sent in DNA samples that were too old or corrupted some how, we would have to start the process all over again and that would be a nightmare and take forever."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Just let me know as soon as you get the test in, okay?"

"Sure. The test kit should be here sometime next week."

"Oh, okay." Veronica could hear the disappointment in his voice, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

"Look, I've got to go, but I'll let you know as soon as I get the kit, okay?" She couldn't get out of the conversation fast enough.

"Yeah, sounds good. Oh, and Veronica?"

"Yes?"

"Could you give our son a kiss from me, before he goes to bed tonight?" Duncan sounded so sincere, but it did nothing for the nausea that was residing in Veronica's stomach at the sound of his words.

The fact that he dared to call Baby Keith their son, blew her away. He was her son, no one else's. She didn't care what any test said! Then, on top of that, she found it laughable that he wanted her to kiss Keith before he went to bed? What did he think, the baby had some set bedtime already? As if she told her son goodnight, kissed him and then sent him to his room? 'Ugh, what a moron! I can't believe I used to want to spend the rest of my life with him.'

She knew she was being harsh, but she didn't care. She felt like she'd been backed into a corner and she was ready to fight her way out, no matter who she was against.

"Sure, Duncan." Veronica would have said anything at that moment. Her main goal in life at that precise moment was to just end the phone call, no matter what she had to say. Luckily, Duncan seemed satisfied. He said good night and then hung up. Veronica hoped that was the last time she heard from him until she received the test kit and was prepared to meet with him.

Veronica hung up and got ready for bed. Since he'd been born, she had been making an earnest effort to have her son sleep in his bassinet. She would only bring him into her bed when she had to nurse him in the middle of the night and she was so tired, she just fell asleep. Otherwise, she would make sure she placed him back into his bassinet after the feeding. She wanted him to be able to sleep independent of her and she'd read of the problems with children that never wanted to leave their parent's bed.

She broke her own rule that night. She felt as if her time with her son was slipping away even faster than she'd already known. She wanted to keep him close to her, feeling him in her arms, hear his light, little snore right next to her face. She inhaled his newborn scent and held on as tightly as she could without hurting him.

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The next morning was like any other for Veronica. Get up, get ready, feed Keith, drop him off at the babysitter's, then head to school. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Unlike the previous day, Veronica was relieved to find that Duncan was not calling her every hour on the hour. He must have been pacified by her call the previous night. It was a relief. Veronica finally felt like she could relax a little bit. She knew that she would still have to deal with him, but was happy that he wasn't breathing down her neck.

On her way to lunch, Mac caught up to her. Between classes earlier in the day, she had told Veronica that she needed to talk to her when they could get a minute alone.

"So, time for a chat?" Veronica said with a raised eyebrow. She wasn't sure why Mac wanted to talk, but just the fact that she had, made Veronica curious. Mac wasn't one to chat it up with the girls. Yes, they were great friends, but Mac definitely wasn't an overly peppy gossip. When she spoke, Veronica listened because it was usually something of importance. Mac didn't waste her efforts on anything less.

"Yeah, do you have time?" Mac said with obvious trepidation in her voice.

"For you, Mackie? Anytime." Veronica knew that Mac never liked that nickname, but it was an easy banter Veronica would use with her to lighten the mood sometimes. Like she expected, it worked like a charm. Mac just shook her head and rolled her eyes at Veronica as she led her to a quiet spot outside, far away from their lunch table and all of their friends.

"So, what's up, Mac-Attack?" Veronica pushed as they got settled on a bench.

"Well, um, I, I didn't know who else to talk to about this. Since you're the most experienced with relationship stuff, I thought I'd ask you." Veronica almost laughed out loud at that statement. That was one misconception everyone had about her. They had all, understandably so, assumed that because she had a child, she had relationship experience. If they only knew the truth, they would know that she was the LAST person that should be giving relationship advice.

Since she wasn't about to set Mac straight, she prodded her friend to continue.

"Well, Ritchie asked me to Homecoming."

Veronica smiled at the statement. It was so simple, but she knew how big of a deal it was to the girl sitting next to her, fidgeting with her hands in her lap and her head hanging down. "That's great, Mac. Finally, you two can move past this weird holding pattern you've been in."

Their entire group of friends knew how much Mac and Ritchie liked each other. The two might as well have shouted their feelings from the rooftops. Not because the two talked about it so much, but because it was just so obvious to everyone around them. No one could believe how oblivious Mac and Ritchie were to each other's feelings.

"Yeah, but that's the problem. I think he just asked me as a friend. I don't think he's thinking of it as a date. I'm not sure what to think about it." Veronica could tell that Mac was getting frustrated and feeling a little hopeless about the situation. She needed a serious pep talk. With everything that was falling apart in Veronica's life, she thought that encouraging someone else might have been difficult. It wasn't, though. Mac was her best girl friend and she wanted her to be happy. Ritchie was a great guy and they deserved each other.

"Mac, listen." Veronica paused, trying to decide how to best steer her friend. "Ever since I first met you, you've been in love with Ritchie. Long before I came to Pan High, you were in love with him. The two of you have been great friends since you started high school, but it's more than that.

The two of you always find your way to each other. It's like there is some gravitational pull guiding you toward each other. When either of you has exciting news, the first person you run to tell is each other. You are always there for each in celebrating your victories and the two of you always depend on each other during down times. You two have a better ability to cheer each other up than anyone I've ever seen."

Mac smiled at Veronica's words. It was true. It didn't matter if it was good or bad news, the first person she always sought was Ritchie. She really felt like he did the same, too. She always seemed to know what was going on with him before anyone else.

"Look, I can't say for sure what Ritchie's intentions are. I haven't spoken to him about it, but if I were to make a bet on it, I'd say he was asking as more than just friends. Whatever his intentions, the outcome is still the same. You are going to be spending Homecoming on the arm of the guy you love. I'd say that you hold on tight, laugh with your best friend and dance the night away. If it is a date, he will take care of the rest. Just relax and enjoy your time with him. He'll be unable to resist you!" The girls laughed. "And, if all else fails, just close your eyes and think of England." (A/N: so, this doesn't totally fit, but I like the thought of using V's canon advice to Mac about sex with Beaver in her advice she's giving to Mac about Ritchie.)

The girls were laughing as they headed back into the building. "Thanks, Veronica. I feel better now."

"No problem, girl. You know that I've always got your back" She squeezed Mac's shoulder as they entered the lunch room. Veronica watched as Ritchie noticed Mac's entrance immediately. She knew her advice to Mac was spot on when she saw the smile that graced his face. That boy was completely hung up on her.

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Veronica had gone home, fed Baby Keith and grabbed some food to take with her. After she shut her apartment door, calling out a final goodbye to her father and her son, she turned around in time to walk right into Logan Echolls.

"Ah!" Logan grabbed her to steady her. When she finally realized who she had run in to, she couldn't help but curse her luck. If she'd just left two minutes earlier or he'd been two minutes later, she would have been able to completely avoid him. "Uh, what are you doing here, Logan?"

"Well, actually," he said as he glanced toward the apartment. "I've got a huge project I need to work on and since I got so much done here the other night, I figured I'd try to see if lightning would strike twice." Logan said as he patted the backpack he was holding in his hand.

"Oh!" Veronica was at a loss for words. Logan had just shown up on her doorstep, once again. It was starting to freak her out. As much as she would like to avoid him, he seemed bound and determined to inject himself into her daily routine. It unnerved her.

"I'm not staying. Sorry." Veronica had no idea of why she was apologizing to Logan of all people, so she just started walking toward her car.

As Logan followed her, he saw that she had her messenger bag with her. "Where you headed and where's Baby Keith?"

Veronica hid the frustrated chuckled that escaped her lips as Logan's efforts to check up on her became obvious. "I'm headed out to do some surveillance. Baby Keith isn't really a good partner to have when you're chasing after cheating husbands and low-life's in general. He'll be hanging out with Grandpa Keith tonight."

"Oh, well they should have fun, then."

"Yeah, Alicia, Wallace's mom, will be coming over after work. After Dad's been away on a case, he likes to have time with Baby Keith. He kicks me out and does Grandpa/Grandson bonding time apparently. Then, Alicia comes over and they spend time holding him and cooing at him. It gives dad time with Baby Keith and it gives me some time away and a chance to get in some field work.

"That's cool." Then, Logan perked up as if he had just processed what she'd said. "You're going on a case? Like surveillance or something?"

Veronica had to laugh at the kid-in-a-candy-store demeanor that Logan had suddenly adopted. "Yep, gotta get the elusive money shot."

"Ooh, how Sidney Bristow of you," Logan said as he rubbed his hands together as if he were plotting some evil scheme.

"Well, not quite. It's more like sitting in a car for hours, while your butt falls asleep, waiting for the Romeo of the night to show his pretty mug." Veronica stopped walking for a moment. She placed her hand on her chin and tilted her head like she were considering something. "Actually, I'm pretty sure that watching an episode of Alias provides more excitement than an entire night of actual P.I. surveillance."

"Still," Logan followed her as she continued the trek to her car. "You've gotta let me tag along. See what it's like and all."

He could tell that she was about to protest, so he interrupted her train of thought. "Plus, if it's as boring as you say it is, I can still get a lot of work done," he said as he patted his bag again.

"Logan," Veronica sighed. All she wanted to do was to send him on his way.

"Come on, please, Ronnie." The next thing Veronica knew, Logan was riding shotgun on their way to stake out The Camelot. She wanted to believe that she agreed to let Logan accompany her because she didn't want to be too late for the show, therefore she just gave in to him so they could hit the road.

Later, she would wonder if it was really his use of her old nickname that swayed her decision. Beyond that, she wondered if he had purposely manipulated her by using it. Did he really think that he could get his way just by using her nickname? Contrary to the evidence, he couldn't manipulate her that easily. Sure they were on their way to The Camelot together, but she knew that it was just because she didn't want to waste the time arguing about it with him.

Veronica rolled her eyes as she drove. 'Great,' she thought. 'This is going to be one long night."

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Veronica was laughing so hard, she thought she might pee her pants. "I can't believe you actually got out of the car and yelled, 'Come on, get it on already!'"

"Well, you were right! That was about as exciting as watching paint dry. It was excruciating." Logan always knew how to be dramatic. He came by it honestly. His father had the ability to over-act in spades."

"WAIT! What's today?" Veronica stopped suddenly. Her eyes were huge and she had grabbed Logan's arm to get his attention.

"Uh, Thursday. Why?" By the way Veronica had reacted, he thought maybe she'd forgotten she was supposed to be somewhere. He hoped not. He was having a blast with her and didn't want the night to end too early.

"Thursday. Quick, Logan. Get me a calendar."

"Why? Are you supposed to be somewhere?" He had one eyebrow raised as he appraised her.

"No, but I want to mark this day on the calendar. I want proof."

"Of what?" Now he knew she was crazy. He got scared, though, as a sly smile slowly spread across her face.

"I want proof of the day that you admitted I was right about something." Veronica was full on laughing at that point.

"I did no such thing." Logan was trying to hide the smirk that desperately wanted to come out and play. Instead, he narrowed his eyes at her and acted completely offended. "Like THAT would happen."

"Well, it did, Mister, and I'm," she gestured to herself, then to Logan, "not gonna let you forget it!" Veronica was behaving like a child, but it didn't matter. It'd been so long since she'd had such a childish conversation with no real consequences. She was in a light mood and wanted to hold on to the feeling for as long as possible.

"Yeah, well, I don't see any witnesses around here, Mars," he made a point of looking around the car. "Seems it's your word against mine."

Veronica watched as Logan stuck his tongue out at her and then placed his hands behind his head, closing his eyes as he rested against the seat. He was the vision of confidence and ego, relaxation and poise.

She would never know what possessed her to do what she did next, but after hearing Logan scream like a girl as she tickled him, it was worth every self-reflective thought. She laughed when Logan had recovered enough to start complaining about the injustice of it all. The fact was, she had tickled him, but she was the driver. He couldn't retaliate without killing them and anyone else unfortunate enough to be on the road with them.

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Logan was pulling into the school parking lot with a smile on his face. It was Friday and the weekend awaited him. He'd had a great time with Veronica on her stake-out the night before, even if he had complained constantly about being bored out of his mind while waiting for their mark.

It had taken him by surprise that things had gone so smoothly. He had never intended to spend any one-on-one time with Veronica. He had just assumed that her son would always be there to act as a buffer or distraction. But when she told him what she had planned, he really was interested. It wasn't every day, after all, that an eighteen-year-old high school student staked out cheap motels late at night hoping to get a shot of a cheating spouse. He hadn't really stopped long enough to realize that his tagging along, would mean that they would be alone together for hours. It had just been he and Veronica and they'd gotten along great.

Logan didn't really have any plans for the weekend, but knew that he should try to check in on Veronica and Baby Keith. He was nervous that Duncan would try to see them and Logan wanted to be around just in case he was needed. Plus, it came with the added bonus of not having to stay home with his Dad.

As he walked into school, he decided that he was going to find out what the Mars' had planned for the evening. He knew that he could just show up and insert himself into her plans like he had the two previous times, but he wanted to see if she'd actually invite him willingly.

He noticed that Wallace and Veronica were at her locker talking. He walked up behind them and waited for them to finish their conversation.

"Fine, Cami. You win. We'll watch Southpark...again. Happy now?" Wallace groaned.

"Very," Veronica stated simply. "See, that's why you're my B.F.F." Veronica enunciated each of the letters because she knew how much Wallace hated being referred to as her BFF. He'd admit that she was his best friend to anybody. He just felt like using the acronym, made it entirely too school-girl and not nearly Nelly-video enough.

Wallace just rolled his eyes at her attempts to needle him. "Seriously, though. It's been too long since we've gotten to spend any real time together. I can't wait to see how big our little guy has gotten."

"Yeah, me too. He misses his Uncle Wallace and so do I. I'll see you tonight. My house. I'll provide the movie, you bring the provisions."

"Yes, Ma'am." Wallace nodded as he walked off with his assignment.

Neither one of them had noticed that Logan heard their entire conversation. If they had, they might have noticed the smile fall from his face at the mention of their plans for the evening. Normally, Logan wouldn't have felt bad about inviting himself to a movie night. Unfortunately, he knew that this wasn't a regular movie night. It was a night for best friends to hang out and reconnect with all of the craziness that had surrounded the birth of Veronica's son. He couldn't intrude on that.

Veronica turned around and almost ran into Logan as his mind wandered. "Oh, hey, Logan. I didn't see you there. What's up?"

"Oh, uh, nothin'. Just got here." Logan knew he needed to deflect from the fact that he had been standing right behind her, waiting for her at her locker. "So, get much sleep last night? Did Baby Keith sleep well after his big night with Grandpa."

Veronica chuckled. "I wish. It wasn't bad, but he definitely wasn't doing any marathon sleeping."

Since Logan had stayed with them on Monday night, it had fascinated him that Veronica lived that schedule every night and she still managed to function during the day. He was in awe of how well she managed everything. He figured he would have sent the baby to be raised by wolves before too many sleepless nights.

Just then the first bell rang, signaling that it was time for them to head to their classes. They said their good-bye and walked in separate directions.

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By lunch, Logan had a new plan for his evening. He had been concerned that Duncan might use the weekend as a time to approach Veronica. Because of this, he had a fear that Duncan would show up at Veronica's house during her movie night with Wallace. Although Logan didn't know what she had told Wallace about the conception of Baby Keith, he assumed it wasn't everything. Had she told Wallace, the concern for his best friend would have been rolling off of him in waves. Logan knew it would be disastrous to have Duncan show up when Wallace was there.

On his way to the lunch room, he pulled out his cell phone and was able to reach Duncan. They made plans to get together for video games that night. Logan had decided that if he couldn't be with Veronica to act as a shield, he could at least keep Duncan busy.

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	10. Chapter 10

Pan High Rules

Chapter 10

A/N: PLEEAASSEE, don't hate me for the long, unexpected hiatus. First, my computer contracted a virus...or several that almost killed it. Took my dad about 16 hours of work to revive it! Then, I came down with a virus...not enough to kill me, but still took me down a few notches. I'm still fighting it off, probably because I ended up only getting 4-5 hours of sleep every night last week. All sort of weird reasons for that. I've been so out of it, I haven't even READ fanfic, let alone written it. So, again, I'm sorry. I was really worried that virus was going to take all of my work. Luckily, it didn't. It just made my computer completely out-of-commission for a while there.

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Wallace knocked on the Mars' door and was greeted by a smiling Keith. "Hey, son, how are you?"

"Hey, Mr. Mars. I'm doing good," Wallace replied as he was let into the living room.

"Good. Your mom tells me you'll be gearing up for basketball soon."

"Yeah, I can't wait to get back on the court. I play all the time, it's just not the same." Keith was about to reply, but was cut off by his daughter's snarky voice.

"That's just because he walks down the hallway now, and no one slaps his butt and high-fives him. His fans are too caught up with the football team to fall at his feet right now. It's just not the same," Veronica mimicked Wallace's comment.

"Ah shucks, girl. Show some love for a brotha." They all cracked up at Wallace's attempt at being a 'playa'.

"Well, you kids are gonna have to fight this out on your own. I've got myself a hot date tonight." He nudged Wallace, "Don't tell your mom, okay?"

"Ew, I don't know what disturbs me more. The fact that you are referring to mom as a 'hot date' or the fact that you'd date someone else and want me to cover for you with my mom." He shuddered. "I mean, really Mr. Mars. You've gotta remember the rules about you two dating. There is no discussing that stuff with us."

"Yeah, Dad, really. We have a strict denial policy going. When you guys talk about it all of the time, it doesn't help. You'd better watch it. Neither of you are rich enough to pay for the therapy that us poor kids are going to need."

"Aw, aren't you two so sweet. Your words just warm my heart. Have a good night, kids," he said as he started to walk out the door. Then, he smiled to himself and stopped just short of closing the door behind him. "Don't wait up," he sing-songed, then shut the door quickly.

"Oh"

"Ah"

"No, man!"

"Da-ad!"

Veronica and Wallace huffed over to the couch and sat down heavily. "He did that on purpose, you know. Your dad's just evil." Wallace said, the grimace still firmly planted on his face."

"I know. Let's get the movie started quick. I need something else to think about." Veronica moved to put the DVD in the machine.

"Yeah, sounds good. So, where my little buddy?"

"Oh, he's sleeping, but he should be awake before the end of the movie. You'll get to see him soon."

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Meanwhile, Logan was sitting outside of the Kane mansion. He'd been sitting there for about twenty minutes, but was having trouble getting out of the SUV to go in. Frankly said, he was dreading the night. He was still having trouble accepting everything he'd heard from Duncan at Veronica's.

The internal battle raged. He was frustrated because everything he'd learned about Duncan that day at Veronica's had repulsed him. Unfortunately, Logan couldn't outright deny or write off years of close friendship. He loved Duncan like a brother, but his stomach churned at the idea of spending any time with him. Logan knew why he was sitting outside the Kane house. He knew that it was his plan of protecting Baby Keith and serving as a buffer between Duncan and the Mars' that drove him to make plans with Duncan. He could just imagine the hell storm that would take place if Duncan went barging into Veronica's while Wallace was there.

Logan took a deep breath and then blew it out, steeling himself for what lie ahead. He got out of the Xterra and walked up to the house. He was let in once again by Jenny. She led him to Duncan, in the game room and then left after taking their snack and drink order.

Logan immediately picked up a controller for the game system, hoping for some way to avoid actually talking to Duncan. And, although Duncan sat down and began the game, talking seemed to be exactly what he had on his mind.

"So, have you seen Veronica lately? Or my son? How is he? Does he look like me?"

Logan's head was spinning. He hadn't wanted to discuss Veronica or her son at all, but Duncan had jumped right into it with both feet.

"Uh..." Logan's voice was strained and he had to clear his throat before he could continue. "I, uh, as far as I know they're doing okay, uh good. I mean, obviously Veronica was a in shock after...but I think they are okay. Just really busy right now." All of the sudden Logan felt like he needed to justify how busy Veronica was so that Duncan didn't try to drop by her place. He just needed to do it in a way that still made it sound like Veronica had everything under control and didn't need Duncan or the Kanes' stepping in and taking over. He felt like he was navigating a mine field.

"Oh, well, everything should be fine, now. I took care of it, she knows it was consensual."

'WHAT!' Logan's mind screamed out. 'Everything should be fine? You took care of it? Great, so now she wasn't raped, she was just impregnated by her brother, but hey, that's okay because it was CONSENSUAL!! You've got to be kidding me! She was so drugged, she can't even remember anything. Hey, yeah, no biggie! What the hell is he thinking?'

"Uh, okay." It was all Logan could manage. He was afraid he'd burst if he tried to say anything else.

"Plus, as soon as the results are in, everything will be better. She won't have to worry about money or living in that tiny hole."

"What? Why would she move? She's got her father. He helps her with the baby," Logan didn't understand where Duncan was going with the conversation. He knew Duncan would help out financially, probably pay all the costs involved, but did he plan on setting her up in a new place?"

"Of course she'll move. Our son will need both of his parents. Anyway, we won't need Keith's help. We'll hire a nanny and there are plenty of other staff around here. I'm sure Jenny would just love the new blood, running around wreaking havoc for mom." Duncan smiled lightly at his own comments, while Logan's pulse raced.

"Here? You want her to live here? With you and your parents?" Okay, Logan knew his old friend had to be messing around with him. It had to be a practical joke.

"Of course. Where else would we live? First of all, we're not even out of high school yet. Plus, she's a Kane. She'll take her place with her family."

"But, if she takes her place as a Kane, then everyone will know about the in–about the baby's biology." Logan still couldn't manage to say words like incest and rape. "You can't actually want to put him through that?"

"No, of course not. No one will know she's a Kane, only that she's the mother of my son. Anyway, we'll only live here until I get out of college and go to work at Kane software."

"Then what?" Logan felt like one of those spectators waiting for a train wreck. He knew he should look away, but he couldn't help himself. He just needed to know what was going to happen...at least in Duncan's mind.

"We'll get a house of our own." It was so simple for Duncan. Logan watched him and his friend didn't flinch at all. It was as if Duncan really believed that it was so straight-forward.

"You want to live with Ronnie?" Logan wanted to vomit. Even knowing he and Veronica were related, Duncan was still looking for a relationship? Did he actually think she would go for that? Willingly sleep with her brother?

"Of course. We'll raise our son together. It's the best thing for him."

"But, you and Ronnie. You're...you know."

Duncan paused the game, finally looking over at his bewildered friend. He started chuckling, "Oh, no. Of course we won't be sharing a bedroom. That would be wrong."

Logan swallowed audibly. "Oh, you scared me for a minute there."

"No, it won't be like that. We'll just share the house and raise our son together. We'll both be there for him. Ronnie won't have to work and will be able to stay home. I'll work my way up in the company and our son will go to the best schools."

"What happens when one of you wants to date other people? How are you going to explain that to him? Or what about getting married and having more kids?" Logan knew Duncan's vision of this perfect little family would never fly. Veronica would never agree to it. He still had to ask, still had to find out how his friend saw it all playing out.

Duncan turned then, and fully looked at his best friend. The easiness of the conversation gone. Duncan's eyes bore into him and a chill ran through Logan's body. One word. One simple word. One simple, accusing word that couldn't be taken as a question, "Dating."

"Uh, y-yeah." Logan couldn't understand the emotion behind Duncan's tone of voice or the look in his eye, but it made him nervous. He suddenly felt the need to lighten the situation as best as he could. "Yeah, you know, like people who are single do. They date."

"Well, we won't be dating. Of course not." Duncan shot Logan a look that said he thought Logan was nuts. Logan, on the other hand, was beginning to wonder about Duncan's sanity.

"You don't think Veronica will ever want to date?" Logan knew she hadn't dated since starting at Pan High, but that didn't mean she'd never want to.

"Sure she will. It'll just be until our son graduates from college. Then, she'll date whomever she wants to."

"What about you?" It bothered Logan that Duncan was only talking about her dating.

"Uh, yeah. Me, too." Duncan said as he restarted the game. It was obviously his way of ending the questions.

Logan just sat there, letting his character die, thinking about everything that had been said. Finally, it hit him. Duncan kept referring to what was best for the baby, but Logan would bet that wasn't all there was to it. He'd continually referred to Baby Keith as 'our son'. And, although he denied wanting to be sexually involved with Veronica, the world he'd created in his mind had them living as a couple. Maybe there wouldn't be any sex, but everything else would mirror a marriage. They would be living under the same roof, he would be supporting them, they wouldn't be dating anyone and this was all supposed to go on for the next twenty some-odd years. He had a lifetime planned for them. Duncan may be telling himself that he's not interested in Veronica as more than the mother of his child, but that's not what it seemed like to Logan. If it weren't considered taboo, he figured Duncan would want to be with Veronica. The thought made him sick to his stomach.

"Uh, I'll be right back." Logan rushed out of the room. He had started sweating and his skin was crawling. He had to get away from Duncan or he might actually vomit all over the game room.

Logan practically ran into the bathroom. He felt violated on Veronica's behalf; something he never knew was even possible. He splashed cold water on his face and sat down to calm himself. How could his friend, his brother in everything but blood, be so out of touch?

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By the time their movie ended, Veronica had fed the baby and Wallace was holding him. He was in awe at how tiny Baby Keith was still. Wallace had never had any reason to be around a newborn. He had a younger brother, but he'd still been pretty young when his brother was born. He'd spent some time around Veronica's son, but he was still nervous when he held him. He kept himself rigid and didn't dare walk around with him if he didn't have to.

"So, how you been, Cami?" He figured he needed to press on, since such a general question hadn't gotten him far when he'd asked her a few days earlier. "I mean, you've seemed a little distracted this week. Withdrawn, even. Everything alright?"

"Yeah, I've just been a little more tired and with dad being gone for a couple of days, I didn't get to nap much. It's okay, though. It's the weekend and dad's back. I'll be able to catch up on my sleep." Veronica tried to sound as if the weight of world wasn't resting squarely on her shoulders.

Wallace studied her for a moment. He still felt like she was hiding something, but he didn't want to push too hard. "You know, I may not have a kid, but I'm here for you. You can call me anytime. We can talk about anything or I can come over and take care of Baby Keith while you rest. You know he made it through it the last time I watched him.

"I know." Veronica saw the sincerity in her best friend's eyes. Even though she couldn't tell him what was really bothering her, she knew that she wasn't completely alone. Wallace was a wonderful friend and he would be there at the drop of a hat, if she needed him. "Thanks, Wallace, really. I'll keep that in mind."

The rest of the evening went by without further discussion of Veronica's odd behavior.

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Logan came out of the bathroom at the Kane's about half an hour after rushing out of the game room. He had been sitting in there, trying not to think of Duncan's twisted plan. He just couldn't hang out and play video games with the guy that he was finding increasingly more aggravating to be around. It was so frustrating. Every time Logan would think about some great aspect about Duncan or their friendship, he would be hit tenfold with equally disturbing aspects of Duncan's role in Veronica's painful circumstances.

Whether it was because Duncan had slept with her when she couldn't even stand on her own or when he knew she was his sister, or because he couldn't see the delicacy of the situation and put himself in Veronica's shoes for even a moment or because the minute he found out about his son, he was trying to control the situation. Even with all of that, Logan could think of something worse.

What really concerned Logan was the thought that Duncan could be hiding a very dark side of himself. The look he'd seen in Duncan's eyes when he had first confronted Veronica about the baby was too familiar to Logan. It was the same look his father would get, only Duncan's hadn't been as controlled. Aaron had spent years perfecting control over the expression of his emotions. He rarely ever lost the facade. Even when he was beating Logan, it always seemed as though he didn't have a care in the world. Like beating his son was akin to putting on a tie.

Logan finally realized what had made him so uneasy about the look Duncan got in his eyes when Logan mentioned dating. It was the same look he'd had while confronting Veronica and it was the same look that Aaron got each time Logan "disappointed" him.

Logan had to get out of that house and away from Duncan. There were too many conflicting versions of the boy running through Logan's mind. He decided he would just tell Duncan he wasn't feeling well and that he needed to go home. Since he took so long in the bathroom, he figured it'd be a good excuse.

After spewing his excuse to Duncan and practically sprinting toward the door, Duncan's voice rang out.

"Oh, Logan, just a second. Really quick, I wanted to tell you something." Logan couldn't imagine what more his friend would reveal to him. He wasn't sure how much more he could take.

"Yeah?" No matter what Logan thought, he wasn't prepared for the sucker punch that followed.

"Well, uh," suddenly it was Duncan who was nervous. "Next Friday, there's going to be a memorial for Lilly at the school."

"What?" The air shot out of Logan's lungs, leaving him breathless, while something constricted his chest. Just the mention of Lilly's name sent his emotions spiraling."

"Yeah, my parents are going to unveil the Lilly Kane Memorial Fountain and announce the scholarship that they've set up in her name. It's supposed to be a time of remembrance," he shrugged as he continued. "Anyway, I just thought I'd let you know. Being at Pan, I assumed you hadn't heard."

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Logan stayed in his room on Saturday. He cranked up the music running through his ear buds and he did nothing...except drink and think about Lilly and the year since her death.

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Thank you to all of the readers and reviewers who have stuck with me! You know I love ya!


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